kymograph parts
Datecirca 1900
Inventory NumberWJ0235a,b,c
ClassificationKymograph
Subject
Maker
E. Zimmermann
founded 1887
Cultural Region
Place of Origin
Dimensionsstorage: 8 x 25 x 25 cm (3 1/8 x 9 13/16 x 9 13/16 in.)
Material
DescriptionThis is an assortment of kymograph parts, not specifically identified: Four pieces of various shapes containing rods, screws, coils of wire, levers, and pins.
Signedstamped: E. ZIMMERMAN LEIPZIG
Curatorial RemarksOnly one part is signed by Zimmerman (others have no signature or mark).
FunctionParts of a kymograph, an instrument for graphically recording physiological experiments.
Kymograph means "wave writer" in Greek. The wavy tracings on the paper recorded blood pressure, heart beats, respiration, electrical conduction of nerves, and other physiological and muscular changes that varied with time. Experimental psychologists used kymographs to record response times, muscle exertions, and physiological reactions that accompanied emotions.
The tracings enabled the study of phenomena that had previously been too fleeting and faint to measure. The graphs offered scientists a non-verbal language that could be understood across different disciplines. They also had a claim to objectivity, recording events solely through instruments rather than by human observation.
Kymograph means "wave writer" in Greek. The wavy tracings on the paper recorded blood pressure, heart beats, respiration, electrical conduction of nerves, and other physiological and muscular changes that varied with time. Experimental psychologists used kymographs to record response times, muscle exertions, and physiological reactions that accompanied emotions.
The tracings enabled the study of phenomena that had previously been too fleeting and faint to measure. The graphs offered scientists a non-verbal language that could be understood across different disciplines. They also had a claim to objectivity, recording events solely through instruments rather than by human observation.
Harvard Apparatus Company
Date: 1902-1912
Object number: WJ0230
Harvard Apparatus Company
Accessories: "CATALOG, apparatus for research and teaching in physilogy and allied science", Harvard Apparatus Company, Inc., CHSI library. "A LABORATORY COURSE IN PHYSIOLOGY", Walter B. Cannon, 1913. CHSI Library
Object number: 2009-1-0059
