Sphygmomanometer

This is possibly the best thing I have learned all semester.

A sphygmomanometer is the device used for measuring blood pressure.

We've all seen and used them countless times, without ever being told what an incredible name they have. Sure, I had fun playing with them in toy doctor's kits as a kid, but I would have had so much more fun if someone had just come up and told me I was playing with a sphygmomanometer. I also feel kind of ripped off that I did UIL Spelling and Vocabulary, and had to memorize 1500 weird words, and did Word of the Day for years, and never once encounter this... Sphygmomanometer

Just think about it. Say it out loud. Over. And over. And over again. Isn't it beautiful?

Does it sound mildly familiar?

Does it sound like this?

(Or, for those of you who prefer pink fluffy monsters over LOTR, like this?)

Sphygmomanometer is now quite possibly my favorite word ever. It's now on my bucket list to play it at least once in Scrabble or Quiddler, or some word game.

There is an important observation to make about sphygmomanometers though. Sphygmomanometers are used for measuring blood pressure, and are an easy way to screen for risk of cardiovascular disease. Now, you would think it would be important to try to prevent cardiovascular disease, as it one of the top causes of mortality in both young and old age groups. And sphygmomanometers are inexpensive, so it shouldn't be too hard to make them available to the developing world. Yet it was discovered that in places like Nigeria, only 10% of primary healthcare clinics have access to sphygmomanometers.

I can understand that it's difficult to get advanced technology like the Da Vinci robot to developing countries. But something as inexpensive as a sphygmomanometer shouldn't be that hard to circulate. So much of medical funding goes into researching the newest technologies, that can provide high-tech, innovative ways to use the latest scientific developments to treat medical conditions more effectively. But these cutting edge treatments are only available to the highest tiers of the economic ladder, and provide a minimal gain in life for such high costs. So much more focus needs to be given to the medical treatments for the billions suffering on the bottom, who just need access to the same devices that we've had for over a century (see Wikipedia).

So, next time you see a sphygmomanometer (or just feel like saying the word), think about people who are suffering from lacking the same objects that we take for granted. (Even if we take them for granted without ever knowing that they have such awesome names)