Polygraph

“Mackenzie . . . indicated in 1909 that he never wanted his name to be linked with the polygraph . . . [which] in Mackenzie’s opinion, was a research tool, not designed to be of use to the general practitioner, who was expected to understand the significance of the heart sounds and changes in rhythm without applying the polygraph to all of his patients. . . . The polygraph provided a diagrammatic representation of the variations of the simultaneous pulsing cycle in the arteries, veins, and heart. The instrument became a symbol for twentieth-century American and European heart specialists, thus realize Mackenzie’s worst fears for its impact on medical practice” (Davis II, 129).