Esthesiometer
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esthesiometer
[es‚thē·zē′äm·əd·ər] (engineering)
An instrument used to measure tactile sensibility by determining the distance by which two points pressed against the skin must be separated in order that they be felt as separate. Also spelled aesthesiometer.
Esthesiometer
an instrument for determining tactile sensibility. The esthesiometer permits investigation of stimulus thresholds for pressure, touch, vibration, heat, and cold. The instrument applies increasing or decreasing amounts of irritation to a specific area of the skin, a mucous membrane, or a cornea and alters the action time of an irritant or the distance between two irritants. Modern esthesiometers also regulate the rate of variation in the intensity of an irritant.