The practical use of the Einthoven string galvanometer in the first quarter of the 20th century

The article considers the history of the Einthoven string galvanometer. The instrument was invented by the Dutch physiologist Willem Einthoven for electrophysiological research at the beginning of the 20th century, but later the sphere of its application extended. In particular, the invention of the Einthoven string galvanometer allowed using a method of electrocardiography in clinical medicine. In the article, the introduction of the Einthoven string galvanometer into practice is considered. The chronological scope of the study covers the period from 1901 to 1924. In 1901 Einthoven published his first article on the string galvanometer. In 1924 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his achievements in electrocardiography. The article is aimed at identifying the factors that contributed, in the given chronological scope, to the practical use of the Einthoven string galvanometer - an instrument originally designed for scientific research. The sources of the study are publications of scientists and physicians who worked with the Eint-hoven string galvanometer in the 1900s-1910s, materials of the periodical press, textbooks. The article contains a short description of the construction of the Einthoven instrument and the principle of its use. The first commercial models of the instrument appeared in the 1900s as a result of Einthoven's cooperation with instrument makers, improvements in the construction of the instrument and its manufacturing. Consumers were given an opportunity to choose a suitable model of the Einthoven string galvanometer according to its price and characteristics. In the 1910s, the instrument was manufactured in several European countries and in the United States of America. The data on possibilities of the Einthoven string galvanometer as well as the description of research carried out with its help appeared in different scientific publications that contributed to the spread of information about the instrument and attraction of new customers. The purchase of the necessary device for registration of human electrocardiogram by medical institutions led to the development of a new instrumental method of diagnosis of the functional state of the heart. The high sensitivity of the Einthoven string galvanometer made possible to use it in wireless telegraphy for recording messages. A modified model of the Einthoven instrument with six strings was used in sound-ranging during World War I. The author comes to the conclusion that the manufacturing of the Einthoven string galvanometer by several instrument makers and the improvement of its construction facilitated successive practical applications of the instrument in different spheres of science (physiology, medicine) and technology (telegraphy, military technology).

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