Birth of the stethoscope

• Published in: IEEE engineering in medicine and biology magazine Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 84 - 86
• Main Author: Geddes, L.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IEEE 01-01-2005; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Acoustics; Auscultation - history; Auscultation - instrumentation; Bells; Boring; Cardiac disease; Diaphragms; Ear; England; Extremities; Fluid dynamics; Fluid flow; Heart; History, 19th Century; History, 20th Century; Instruments; Marine vehicles; Plugs; Solids; Stethoscope; Stethoscopes; Stethoscopes - history; Turbulence; Turbulent flow; United States; England; United States
• ISSN: 0739-5175; 1937-4186
• DOI: 10.1109/MEMB.2005.1384105

This work discusses the evolution of the stethoscope which means "chest-seeing device". The first stethoscope was created by R.T.H. Laennec in 1816. Laennec's monoaural, paper-roll stethoscope was succeeded by his hollow, wooden, cylindrical, monaural instrument. From the monaural stethoscope emerged binaural stethoscopes, hydraulic stethoscopes which was designed for auscultatory percussion, and the present-day stethoscope with a stiff diaphragm. The present-day stethoscope accentuates high-pitched sounds which is characteristic of respiration and turbulent flow, whereas the older bell receiver accentuates the lower-frequency sounds. There also came about the combined bell and diaphragm stethoscope and the stereophonic stethoscope called the symballophone. In time, the stethoscope has become the badge of the physician.