Our research monitor called her trembling an artifact. I almost believed it. She apologized for shaking while the cuff squeezed her arm and the room waited for a number. Outside the graph, her fingers kept closing around the paper bracelet, as if holding her name in place. Measurement began there: pressure, pulse, person, permission, trust.
Author Bio:
Jason Bean is a neuroscience undergraduate and student researcher at Baylor University. This piece explores the tension between recording a physiological signal and attending to the person who produces it.