The Modern Stethoscope Has Come A Long Way Since Its Invention
Author: steven swihartThe instrument we know as the stethoscope allows a person to hear sounds produced by the body and organs. The original stethoscope, invented by a French physician named Rene Lannec in 1816, was nothing more than a short wooden tube that had a broad bell shaped flange at one end that would be placed on the patient.
The bell shaped flange was simply placed against the patients chest with the doctor placing his ear at the opposite end. By doing this it made the patients breath and heart sounds easier to hear. Not until the early 20th century was the stethoscope changed into the modern form we know today, known as a binaural stethoscope. Dr G. P. Cammann was a physician in New York who improved upon the earlier models.
The newer stethoscope had two ear pieces with rubber tips connecting them with a two branched chest cone. This way the sounds could be heard with both ears, and the flexibility of the tubes allowed the doctor to listen to various parts of the patients body without having to move.
Electronic stethoscopes make it possible for several clinicians to listen at the same time to the sounds emitted by a particular organ.
Auscultation, also known as stethoscopy, can be used together with percussion, or light tapping, to determine the health or abnormality of different organs. The kinds of sounds emitted back after percussion can reveal certain aspects of the organ in question.
Skillful use of a stethoscope can be used to detect abnormalities of the lungs, heart, stomach, intestines, and other organs early and so can be treated before further deterioration occurs.
Solvents can accelerate the dissolving of the plasticizers that keep these parts flexible and looking new. Always use regular soap to clean this instrument.
In addition, when they are manufactured stethoscopes with two-sided chest pieces are lubricated where the chest piece rotates around the stem and need to be re-lubricated periodically, just like any other machine. If these moving parts are not lubricated, they grind together and ruin the fine tolerances required for the proper acoustic performance of the stethoscope.
Keep in mind that most lubricants can degrade rubber and vinyl components so be sure to wipe off any excess after lubricating your stethoscope.
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About the AuthorWant to find out more about stethoscopes? Then visit Joe Eagen's site on how to choose the best stethoscope for your needs.