Stethoscope
DETAILS/DESCRIPTION:
The stethoscope was invented in 1819 by the French physician Laennec*. His first version consisted of a foot-long perforated wooden cylinder which transmitted sounds from the patient’s chest to the doctor’s ear.
The modern version is binaural, usually made of two rubber tubes leading from the chest piece to two other rubber tubes, (spring-connected) each of which is connected to an ear-piece. The chest piece comes in two versions (often incorporated in one instrument): the open-ended piece, which is bell-shaped and used for listening to heart sounds, and the flat piece, covered with a semi-rigid diaphragm and best used for listening to other sounds such as those from the lungs.
The listening technique is known as ‘ascultation’ and is most often used to diagnose cardiac or respiratory problems.
ONELINER: Stethoscope
OTHER CONNECTIONS: None
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Encyclopedia Britannica