Why is the ECG machine an important invention?
Until the late 1800s, medical scientists could only record heart activity by directly examining the heart, which was not possible on a living patient.
In 1903, a Dutch doctor, Willem Einthoven inventend the ECG machine. This instrument made it possible to record the heart's electrodes on the skin. The machine then gives a recording of the small electric waves being generated during heart activity.
In 1924, Einthoven was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his discovery. However, early ECG machines are compact, highly sophisticated and extremly accurate. They are used worldwide as a relatively simple way of diagnosing heart conditions.