I spent the last few days racking my brains trying to find an association between the flute and the stethoscope. I will elaborate further in the following paragraphs.
The flute is a woodwind instrument that produces sound according to Bernoulli principle.
The stethoscope is the instrument used to listen to sounds from within the chest and is the most popular gadget commonly identified with doctors.
The stethoscope was invented by Rene Laennec in 1816. Laennec studied medicine at Paris. He was a surgeon/physician and trained under prominent physicians of that time. Laennec's mother had died of tuberculosis and with frequent interruptions because of his own ill-health, he studied and worked on chest disorders like Tuberculosis and emphysema.
Laennec used to play the flute and being an excellent carpenter, used to carve his own flutes. The method used to listen to chest sounds was crude at the time and involved direct application of ear to the chest wall. Laennec once noticed some children playing with hollow sticks and using them to listen to pin scratches. This gave him an idea and coupled with his knowledge of acoustics led him to make a wooden cylinder about 25 cms long which revolutionized the method of auscultation of the chest and survives to this day.
Laennec ironically died due to tuberculosis and it is said that when he listened to his own chest sounds with his stethoscope, he was horrified. When we proudly flaunt our stethoscopes, we realize and appreciate the work and genius of many persons who helped us reach here.
No comments:
Post a Comment