Crampton Test and Surgical Shock, By John H. Irwin, 1935
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- Created Date
- 1935
- Description
Crampton was a physician, medical researcher, and teacher. Born in New York City, he attended the College of the City of New York, New York University, and in 1900 graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. His major contributions to the medical field include work with geriatrics and gerontology, adolescent hygiene and physical fitness, posture, and blood pressure and circulatory systems. He created what is today known as the Crampton Test for Fatal Shock, which measures the physical condition and resistance of one’s pulse and blood pressure in the resting and standing positions. Crampton was a major in the U.S. Army Medical Reserve and acted as Special Adviser to the U.S. Department of the East during World War I. Crampton was a vocal advocate of preventative medicine and the maintenance of a personal medical record by individuals, and served as Chairman of the Committee on Physical Fitness through the Federal Security Agency, Chairman of the Committee on the Health of Adolescents, and the chairman for the sub-committee on Geriatrics and Gerontology through the medical society of New York County. In addition, he founded the Aristogenic Association, which he describes as: “While Eugenics and Kakogenics are generally understood to refer respectively to consideration of good and evil in the sphere of Genetics, Aristogenics refers to the best.” For his regular Boys' Life column, boy scouts from across the country wrote to Crampton with questions about physical fitness (e.g. diet, exercise, stretching, sport strategies and techniques, growth and development). Crampton’s vast knowledge of adolescent life and health contributed to his column's success, and in 1941 he received the Silver Buffalo reward for his distinguished service to youth.
There are two duplicates (ms510-01-b-02-10-015, ms510-01-b-02-10-016). The first two (014, 015) are more fragile than the third. All three have horizontal creases from having been folded in half as well as thirds. 014 is less faded than the other two, but all show some wear. Across the top of 014 are the words: "Please return to C. Ward Crampton, M.D. 1035 Park Avenue, NY 28."
This academic article is reprinted from the Journal of the Medical Society of New Jersey, and was originally published in 1935 by John H. Irwin, M.D., attending surgeon at Englewood Hospital in Englewood, N.J. Irwin's article describes the efficacy of predicting post-operative shock with the Crampton Test. The Crampton Test, developed by Charles Ward Crampton (May 26, 1877 - 1964), evaluates "the gravity resisting ability" of circulation using a sphygmomanometer. It represents an index which is high in persons exhibiting sound health and low in persons exhibiting poor health. The second page has three charts. The first compares heart rate to blood pressure when the patient is standing and lying down. The second lists the total number of cases by type of surgery. The final chart is an analysis of deaths by cause, surgery, Crampton Value, age, and time between surgery and death. The article concludes that the Crampton Test will, most times, successfully predict patients who are likely to die of post-operative shock. With this conclusion, he advises doctors to use digitalis to increase their patient's Crampton Value and to forgo surgery if the value remains low. The text ends on page three, with page four showing the fifth chart and a brief list of references. The fifth chart examines typical cases not digitalized before operations, lists the operations themselves, the Crampton Value of the patients, and the results. Crampton first described his test in an article titled "Blood Ptosis: A Test of Vasomotor Efficiency," published in the New York Medical Journal. The Crampton Test was excluded from Guy Montrose Whipple's 1910 "Manual of Mental and Physical Tests," replaced in this volume by the spirometer test.
- Creator
Irwin, John H
- Partner
- Digital Commonwealth
- Contributing Institution
- Springfield College Archives and Special Collections
- Collection
- College Archives Digital Collections
- Publisher
- The Journal of the Medical Society of New Jersey
- Subjects
- Blood testing
- Type
- text
- Format
- Documents
- Language
- English
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- Contact host institution for more information.
Text and images are owned, held, or licensed by Springfield College and are available for personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that ownership is properly cited. A credit line is required and should read: Courtesy of Springfield College, Babson Library, Archives and Special Collections. Any commercial use without written permission from Springfield College is strictly prohibited. Other individuals or entities other than, and in addition to, Springfield College may also own copyrights and other propriety rights. The publishing, exhibiting, or broadcasting party assumes all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of United States copyright law.
- Chicago citation style
- Irwin, John H. Crampton Test and Surgical Shock, By John H. Irwin, 1935. 1935. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America, http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/10233. (Accessed March 28, 2024.)
- APA citation style
- Irwin, John H, (1935) Crampton Test and Surgical Shock, By John H. Irwin, 1935. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America, http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/10233
- MLA citation style
- Irwin, John H. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America <http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/10233>.