The stethoscope (from Greek στηθοσκόπιο, of στήθος,
stéthos - chest and σκοπή, skopé - examination) is an acoustic medical device
for auscultation, or listening to the internal sounds of an animal body. It is
often used to listen to lung and heart sounds. It is also used to listen to
intestines and blood flow in arteries and veins. In combination with a
sphygmomanometer, it is commonly used for measurements of blood pressure. Less
commonly, "mechanic's stethoscopes" are used to listen to internal
sounds made by machines, such as diagnosing a malfunctioning automobile engine
by listening to the sounds of its internal parts. Stethoscopes can also be used
to check scientific vacuum chambers for leaks, and for various other
small-scale acoustic monitoring tasks. A stethoscope that intensifies
auscultatory sounds is called phonendoscope.
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Early Stethoscope
Stethoscope history began in 1816 with French
physician, Dr. Rene Laennec at the Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital in Paris. It
consisted of a wooden tube and was monaural. His device was similar to the
common ear trumpet, a historical form of hearing aid; indeed, his invention was
almost indistinguishable in structure and function from the trumpet call
microphone.
Dr. Laennec spent the next three years perfecting
his stethoscope's historical design and listening to the chest findings of
patients with pneumonia, comparing what he heard to their autopsy lung
findings. From this he published the first seminal work on the use of the
stethoscope to listen to body sounds entitled De L'auscultation Mediatein 1819
at thirty-eight years old. Ironically, Laennec himself died of tuberculosis on August
13th, 1826.
Stethoscope history further evolved to the biaural
two ear stethoscope types in 1852 by the work of American, George Cammann. And
most recently, electronic stethoscopes with microphones, amplifiers, and fuzzy
logic have been developed but have not been widely adapted to date. And here
ends the stethoscope history for now.
Invention Stethoscope
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