Napoleon Cybulski--Polish pioneer in developing of the device for measuring blood flow velocity

Napoleon Cybulski (1854-1919) was the most prominent Polish physiologist who chaired the Department of Physiology at the Faculty of Medicine of Jagiellonian University between 1885 and 1919. One of his greatest achievements was the construction of a device for precise measurements of blood movement in the vessels - the photohemotachometer, which provided a better insight into the physiology and pathophysiology of the circulatory system. In the field of endocrinology Cybulski together with Szymonowicz, found out that adrenal extracts contain biologically active substances that elevate blood pressure. He was also a constructor of an extremely clever microcalorimeter to measure the quantity of heat produced during isolated muscle contraction. He applied, for the first time, condensator discharges to stimulate nerves and analyzed changes in the excitability of the muscles. Cybulski proved that the cause of the electrical excitability of tissue depends on the electrical energy and the time of its duration. Together with Beck, he performed the experiments on the sensory centers in the central nervous system by means of the observations of the electrical evoked potentials. They discovered the continuous electrical oscillations in the brain - the brain waves and recorded the negative electrical potentials in certain brain areas induced by sensory impulses coming from the periphery. Using this technique Beck and Cybulski localized various centers in the brain of dogs and Macaccus rhesus monkeys. The names of Beck and Cybulski were quoted in many publications on neurophysiology and electroencephalography. The present paper describes Napoleon Cybulski as a constructor of an original instrument for studying the movement of blood under various experimental conditions an emphasizes the contribution of this invention to the development of physiology.