PULSE 



1215 



PULSUS 



Pulse. P., Compressible, a pulse that is easily 

 obliterated by pressure with the ringer ; a soft pulse. 

 P., Cordy, a tense pulse. P., Corrigan's. See 

 P. -curve, the tracing, called a sphygmo- 

 <mim or arteriogram, of the pulse, made by the 

 sphygmograph or sphygmoscope. P., Decurtate. 

 See Pulsus myurus. P., Dicrotal, P., Dicrotic, an 

 exaggerated dicrotic wave, or recoil wave, the larger 

 of the catacrotic elevations corresponding to the clos- 

 ure of the aortic valves. It is observed when the 

 arterial tension is low and gives to the finger the im- 

 pression of two beats. P., Dropped-beat. Synonym 

 of P., Intermittent. P., Elastic, one that feels elastic 

 to the finger. P., Endopleural, a pulsation of pul- 



• sating pleurisy which can only be rendered visible 

 by means of a manometer. P., Entoptic, the subjec- 

 tive illumination in a dark, visual field, after violent 

 exercise, corresponding to each heart-beat. P., Epi- 

 gastric. See Pulsation , Epigastric. P., Exopleural, 

 the pulsation of a pulsating pleurisy that is visible 

 without the use of a manometer. P., Filiform. 

 Synonym of P. , Thready. P., Full, a pulse in 

 which the artery is filled with a large volume of blood 

 and conveys a feeling of being distended. P., Gas- 

 eous, the pulse of an artery that has lost its tone ; it 

 is full, but exceedingly compressible. P., Goatleap. 



■ See Pulsus caprizans. P., Hard, one with character 

 of high tension and rigidity. P., Hemorrhagic. 



j Synonym of P., Gaseous. P., Heterochronic. Syn- 

 onym of P., Irregular. P., High Tension, one 

 due to increase of the peripheral resistance, together 

 with a corresponding increase in the force of the 

 ventricular systole. It is gradual in its impulse, 

 long in duration, slow in subsiding, with difficulty 

 compressible, and the artery between the beats feels like 

 a firm, round cord. P., Hyperdicrotic, P., Hyper- 

 dicrotous, a pulse of which the aortic notch falls below 

 the base line, indicating very low tension, a symp- 

 tom of great exhaustion. P., Infrequent, properly, 

 a pulse due to diminished rate of heart-beat ; often, 

 however, used as synonymous with slow pulse. P., 

 Intermittent, one in which one or more beats may 

 be dropped. P., Irregular, one in which the beats 

 occur at irregular intervals, or in which the force, or 

 even both the rhythm and force, vary. P., Jerking, 

 a pulse in which the artery is suddenly and markedly 

 distended, as in aortic regurgitation. P., Jugular, 

 pulsation of the jugular veins in the neck. It may be 

 merely transmitted from the arteries or may be due 

 to tricuspid regurgitation. P., Locomotive. Syn- 

 onym of Corrigan's Pulse. P., Low Tension, one 

 that is sudden in its onset and short, and quickly 

 declining. It is easily obliterated by pressure. P.. 

 Monocrotic, P., Monocrotous, one with absence 

 of the dicrotic wave. P., Myurous. See Pulsus 

 myurus. P. paradoxic, one due to failure of the 

 heart during inspiration, seen sometimes in adherent 

 pericardium. P., Polycrotic, a pulse in which there 

 are a number of secondary waves, as in the smaller 

 arteries. It can only be demonstrated with the 

 sphygmograph. P., Quick, one that strikes the 

 finger rapidly, but leaves it also rapidly. Corrigan's 

 pulse is a quick pulse. P.-rate, the number of pul- 

 sations of an artery in a given time, usually in a 

 minute. P., Recurrent, the appearance of the pulse 

 on the distal side of the point of compression of an 

 artery. P., Renal, the tense, full pulse seen in asso- 

 :iation with chronic nephritis. P., Respiratory, the 

 alternate dilatation and collapse of the cervical veins 

 occurring synchronously with expiration (dilatation) 

 and inspiration (collapse). P., Short, one in which 

 the systolic wave is short. P., Slow, one indicating 



a lengthened systolic contraction of the heart and 

 prolonged diastole ; as generally used, it signifies a 

 pulse of slow rate. P., Soft, a pulse that is readily 

 compressed. P., Splashing. Synonym of P., 

 Jerking. P., Steel-hammer, the abrupt, full pulse 

 felt in the arteries near a joint the seat of acute 

 rheumatism. P., Tense. Synonym of P., Hard. 

 P., Thready, one which is scarcely perceptible. It 

 is met with in syncope, under conditions of collapse ; 

 and in the terminal stage of fatal diseases. P.- 

 tracing. See P.-cune and Sphygmogram. P., 

 Tremulous, one in which the finger detects a quiv- 

 ering of the artery with each pulse. P., Tricrotic, a 

 pulse in which the three waves usually present are 

 unusually well marked. P., Undulating, one that 

 conveys to the finger a sensation of successive waves. 

 P., Unequal, one in which the beats vary in force. 

 P., Unsustained. See Corrigan's Pulse. P., Va- 

 ginal, a throbbing or pulsation felt in the vagina 

 during pregnancy, or in conditions of intense pelvic 

 engorgement. P., Venous, I. Pulsatile phenomena 

 occasionally observed in veins, especially in the eye. 

 It is also sometimes seen in the jugular veins. See 

 P., Jugular. 2. The normal pulse in the cervical 

 veins due to the respiratory movements. See P. , 

 Respiratory. P., Vermicular, a pulse, usually small 

 and rapid, conveying to the finger a sensation of worm- 

 like motion. P., Virtual Tension, the pulse of high 

 tension associated with a failing heart ; the artery is 

 still full between the beats, but is generally large, the 

 impulse is sudden, lasts but a short time, and suddenly 

 declines. See also Pulses. P., Water-hammer. 

 See Corrigan' s Pulse. P. -wave, the condition of 

 expansion which begins with each cardiac systole, 

 and is propagated along the aorta and the arteries, 

 ending normally at the capillaries. P., Waxing and 

 Waning. See Pulsus inciduus. P., Wiry, a small, 

 rapid, tense pulse, feeling like a cord under the finger. 

 It is typified by the pulse of acute peritonitis. 



Pulsellum (pul-sel'-um) \_pulsellum, dim. of pulsus, a 

 beating: pi. , Pulsella~\. In biology, a propulsive fila- 

 ment ; a modified form of flagellum, characteristic of 

 spermatozoa. 



Pulsilegium (pul-sil-e / Je~um). See Pulsilogium. 



Pulsilogium (pul-sil-o'-je-um) [pulsus, pulse ; f.nyor, 

 a reckoning]. An obsolete instrument, invented by 

 Galileo and improved by Sanctorius, for registering 

 the character of the pulse ; a pulse-clock. 



Pulsilogon (pul-sil'-o-gon). See Pulsilogium. 



Pulsilogram {pul-siF -o-grani). The record of a Pul- 

 silogium. 



Pulsimeter (pul-sim'-et-er) [pulsus, pulse ; fitrpov^ 

 measure]. Any instrument for the quantitative deter- 

 mination of the rate or force of the pulse. 



Pulsograph (pul'-so-graf). Same as Sphygmograph. 



Pulsometer (pul-so/n'-et-er). Same as Pulsimeter. 



Pulsus {puF-sus) [L.]. The pulse. P. aequalis, one 

 in which the beats are equal. P. alternans, one in 

 which there is a regular alternation of strong and 

 weak beats. The weak beat may be imperceptible, 

 in which case two heart -beats correspond to only one 

 beat of the pulse. P. araneosus. Synonym of 

 Pulse, Arachnoid. P. bigeminus, one in which the 

 beats occur in pairs, so that a longer pause follows 

 every two beats. P. bisferiens, observed in aortic 

 stenosis in which there is a reinforcement of a pro- 

 longed ventricular systole near its close by an acces- 

 sory spasmodic contraction. P. bisiliens, P. bis- 

 pulsorus. See P. Bisferiens. P. caprizans, in the 

 hyperdicrotic pulse, a condition in which the second 

 beat is felt as a grace-note to the succeeding primary 

 beat ; goatleap pulse. P. celer, the quick, short pulse. 



