The Stethoscope
invented by Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laennec
have you ever wanted to listen to someones heart beat? thanks to the "father of chest medicine", you can now purchase your very own device, the stethoscope, and do just that!
"The father of chest medicine"
When Laennec "observed two children sending signals to each other using a long piece of solid wood and a pin" he discovered that the same technique could be used to listen to the heart and lungs. In 1816 when he invented the stethoscope, Laennec started using this instrument and he discovered that his autopsies were supporting diagnoses. He used this to write the first descriptions of bronchiectasis and cirrhosis and also classified pulmonary conditions such as pneumonia, bronchiectasis, pleurisy, emphysema, pneumothorax, phthisis and other lung diseases.