In 1786, Luigi Galvani, an Italian physicist noted that an electrical current could be recorded from skeletal muscles. This set into motion a series of inventions and discoveries that finally ended with Willem Einthoven inventing the first Electrocardiograph machine in 1895.
Einthoven was a Dutch doctor and physiologist who was born in 1860 in Semarang, Indonesia. He published the first electrocardiogram (ECG) reading which was recorded on a string galvanometer, in 1902.
The idea behind the ECG is simple. Every time the heart beats, an electrical signal is generated. An electrocardiogram measures these electrical signals. To elaborate, electrocardiography is the method of graphic tracing of the electric current generated by the heart muscle during a heartbeat. It is a painless procedure that shows if the heart is beating at a normal rate and strength. It is used to check for different heart conditions and is one of the most commonly used tests in cardiac assessment today.
Electrocardiograms are made by applying electrodes to various parts of the body. The electrocardiogram shows upward and downward deflections that reflect the contraction of the atria and the ventricles of the heart. Any deviation is indicative of a possible heart disorder.
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