Word: brachial
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...column of mercury. To use it, the doctor pumps air into a cloth cuff wound tightly round the patient's arm. As the cuff expands, the column of mercury rises in response to the increasing air pressure. That pressure also causes the cuff to press against the brachial artery, stopping the flow of blood. The doctor, his stethoscope pressed against the patient's forearm, knows that the flow has ceased when he can no longer hear the heartbeat. At that point, he slowly releases the air from the cuff. As pressure drops, the mercury column begins to descend...
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