[The importance of feeling the pulse]

The physician Bordeu (1722-1776) is best known as a character in Diderot's Reve de d'Alembert. Yet his medical writings are worth studying for their synthesis of ancient and modern medicine. In particular, his "Recherches sur le pouls par rapport aux crises," published in 1756, is a valuable source for investigating subtle changes in the methods of and reasons for pulse taking. Bordeu proposed to read more from the pulse than the usual patient's temperament. He thought that the blood stream manifested bodily activities, indicated where diseases occurred, and predicted when and where crises took place, which could relieve morbid matters. The study of "Recherches sur le pouls" shows how he adapted traditional and current theories to his specific goals. In accord with the sensationists, he wanted to increase the use of touch to advance medical knowledge. Bordeu chose the pulse while Auenbrugger (1728-1809) turned his attention to percussion. Both physicians were striving for means to bring into focus a picture from inside the patient's body to the physician's mind. Bordeu's vitalist perspective used pulse feeling to reach functions; Auenbrugger's mechanistic bent applied percussion to reveal organs. Both correctly insisted that their method detected unsuspected pathologies; percussion is still widely used, while pulse feeling is often neglected.