When was the reflex hammer invented

Weight and size were important issues in design. Various devices to test sensation were incorporated. Many others succeeded it. In , John Madison Taylor of Philadelphia designed a new hammer weighing grams. Subsequently, hammers were heavier with longer handles, which were thought to improve efficiency.

Taylor practiced neurology and physical medicine in Philadelphia. In shape it is a cone flattened on the opposite side with apex and base carefully beveled or rounded of about the thickness throughout of the human index finger. The material is moderately soft rubber. The special feature of this hammer is that the shape of the striking surface is like the outer surface of the extended hand palm downward, which is most often used in obtaining tendon jerk.

The rounded apex is adopted to reach the biceps tendon at the bend of the arm. This little tool will also well serve to elicit chest sounds, to percuss the abdomen,.

He exhibited his hammer at the American Neurological Association in Washington in It was a tool that he used for testing reflexes as well as thermal and pain sensibility. Displaying little modesty, he said:. The hammer is constructed after the French pattern having a heavy metallic head fixed to a flattened oval handle seventeen centimeters long.

The handle a being of hard rubber becomes warm on friction while the head being of metal remains cold thus offering the means of examining the sense of heat and the sense of cold fulfilling the requirements of a thermo-aesthesiometer.

The cap c when removed discloses a triangular spear head about one-half centimeter long while at the other end of the hammer head is the rounded rubber point—the two ends furnishing therefore a sharp and a dull point for examining for anesthesia or hyperesthesia. This arrangement furnishes an excellent aesthesiometer and is as accurate and convenient as any on the market.

The hammer. Ernst L. Troemner was director of the Neurological Hospital in Hamburg. He developed a reflex hammer similar to the Krauss hammer in It was used in Germany and in the United States. Troemner described:.

The hammer which is all metal weighs approximately grams is 22 centimeters long lies comfortable in the hand and has a head of 8 centimeters width with knobs of rubber at both ends which can be easily exchanged. The large head is designed for use on the large tendons of the extensor surfaces patellar, Achilles, and triceps reflexes. The smaller head is used for percussion of flexor tendons biceps humeri, biceps femoris, and semi-tendinosus.

The smooth handle. Henry W. Woltman , associate professor at the Mayo Clinic, bought several Troemner hammers for himself and colleagues. They became the standard tool at the Mayo Clinic and were given to distinguished visiting neurologists. I constructed a hammer [which has a sufficiently heavy head and a large striking surface] and which in every case proved more useful and comfortable for the testing of tendon reflexes than the common percussion hammers.

The result was the heavy, springy, circular hammer attached to a long stick, the design of which many of us are very familiar with today.

A variety of reflex hammers: the tomahawk hammer far left, Babinski hammer at the top, Queens square hammer immediately below. In the rapidly evolving and fast-paced world of medicine today this is quite a remarkable achievement for such a simple, unassuming piece of equipment. Dr Marc Barton has been passionate about the medical profession since early childhood. While hospitalised during a bout of severe asthma, he was so awed by the proficiency of the doctors and hospital staff that he knew his future lay within Medicine.

Your email address will not be published. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. I would like to subscribe to email updates from Medical Exam Prep I would like to subscribe to email updates from Past Medical History. The Story of the Tendon Hammer Jul 28, 0. Wilhelm Heinrich Erb, circa Joseph Babinski, circa About The Author. Marc Barton Dr Marc Barton has been passionate about the medical profession since early childhood.

Related Posts. Leave a reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Search for:. Since then many more modifications were made to the tendon hammer to address various issues such as weight distribution and shape.

The tendon hammer has now become an integral part of a health professional practice and is commonly used all around the world. Many have also incorporated other features as part of the design, such as a sharpened end to test for the Babinski reflex. One design that has stood the test of time is the Vernon or Wintle hammer which is commonly features a plain plastic handle with a round metal head, lined with a rubber ring. Glenn is a Specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist working in private practice in Perth, Australia.