sphygmomanometer
- n a pressure gauge for measuring blood pressure
- The device used to measure blood pressure is called a sphygmomanometer (from the Greek, meaning pulse measurement); it measures the air pressure needed to raise a column of mercury.
- Cardiograms, sphygmomanometer readings, charts and reports pile up the evidence.
- And not until the beginning of the 20th century did physicians develop a practical means of measuring the pressure that pushes blood through the body: the sphygmomanometer (see .