Supremacy of the pulse within the medicine of the enlightenment

For the minority of the British sick poor, the healing process was conducted as an in-patient in one of the emerging British voluntary hospitals and infirmaries. But those with fevers and contagious diseases were excluded from admission. During the subsequent truncated physical examination, the character of the pulse received especially close attention. The diagnostic regard paid to the pulse assumed the same pre-eminent consideration as bloodletting was within the therapeutic armamentarium. Fever was not considered a symptom within British medicine during the 18th century; rather, it was regarded as a disease sui generis. Indeed, the pulse was regarded as the most reliable guide to the existence of a febrile illness, and variations in the pulse character directed the physician to adopt certain therapeutic modalities. The rapid bounding pulse was a signal of an inflammatory fever, whilst slow low amplitude pulses inferred a typhus-like aetiology. The importance of the pulse to the 18th century practitioner's understanding of sickness, whereby its pre-eminence was gradually replaced by clinical thermometry adopted fitfully during the mid-19th century.

Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.

Historical review of pulse-based diagnosis in Enlightenment-era medicine including bloodletting and leech-therapy traditions.

Explore cómo esta investigación se conecta con la práctica clínica

More peer-reviewed studies in Ensayos clínicos.

• Leech Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis — The Landmark RCT — Michalsen et al. (2003)
• Leech-Assisted Flap Salvage — Systematic Review of 277 Cases — Whitaker et al. (2012)
• Effects of hirudotherapy on liver functions, lipid profile, and insulin sensitivity in rats with metabolic syndrome — Bilden A et al. (2026)
• Efficacy and Safety of Hirudotherapy for Improving Sperm Quality Parameters in Male Infertility: A Randomized Controlled Trial — Abtahi-Forooshani M et al. (2026)
• Reverse Sural Flap Venous Congestion Successfully Managed With Enoxaparin in a Male Patient With a Traumatic Foot Crush Injury: A Case Report — Velasco-Bustamante J et al. (2026)
• Investigation of the therapeutic effects of medicinal leech treatment on lower extremity ischemia-reperfusion injury — Ünal K et al. (2026)
• Efficacy of Medicinal Leech Therapy in Diverse Clinical Applications: A Comprehensive Study from Azerbaijan — Farzali S et al. (2025)
• HIRUDOTHERAPY IN RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY: CASE-REPORTS AND REVIEW — Heinz P et al. (2020)
• Hirudotherapy Efficacy and Complications in the Management of Microsurgical Breast Reconstruction: A Systematic Review — Foppiani J et al. (2024)
• Hirudotherapy in Wound Healing — Nair H et al. (2022)

Browse all ASH-analysed research →