Electrocardiogram

[ethelfleda]

Most US spelling is more straightforward than British spelling, right? So why on earth do they abbreviate Electrocardiogram to EKG, rather than ECG as we do?

It's like they're trying to give it an interesting rock-band type name. We are ElectroKardiogram! Dude, that needs some heavy metal umlauts. ËlëctröKärdïögräm are rocking the stadium!

Comments

[davidn]

Oddly, you're absolutely right - apparently it was invented in Germany, naturally given the name Electrokardiogram, and the Americans still use the German abbreviation.

[ethelfleda]

Really? Wow.

They showed us pictures of an early ECG - patient had to dunk their hands and feet in wee baths of brine to make it work. Scary looking thing.

[confuseddave]

Damn, he beat me to that. ^_^

On a related note, I had a much more interesting EEG taken in a lab once, but it mostly picked up the frequency of the lighting's AC supply...

Oh, that and the various EMG's I've been party to (electromyographs), including the EOG (electrooculograph - don't go to wikipedia, it seems to confuse it with an electroretinograph) which involves sticking a pile of electrodes on peoples faces (four per eye, think we only did one eye) and measuring where they're looking. ^_^

I've also had an ECG, but it was... well, kinda boring really. Although I do remember a girl in my class stuck a spare set of the sticky electrodes to her bag, and they stayed their for the rest of her degree (strong glue!)

Ah, the joys of biomed...

[ethelfleda]

Yeah, they did one to someone in the class as an example, so know the dull. I think they really would be improved by heavy metal umlauts.

I know not of the EEG, having not got on to the 'Brains, Braiiinnnssss' system block yet :)