The percussing physician

 The percussing physician

All medical students remember being taught the basic clinical methods of inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation when they step into hospital wards and this forms a part of their training. I remember trying to use my middle finger which was suddenly called the pleximeter and trying make out the differences in resonance and diagnosing fluid, cavities etc. In the chest and abdomen.

This technique of medical percussion was invented by Leopold Auenbrugger in 1761 while seeing his father use it on wine barrels in his tavern. Percussion involves listening with ears, fingers and skin. This is like a musician who detects tone while playing percussion instruments. Though he was inspired in this invention by his father, he was accused of plagiarising Hippocrates, who had already discovered somewhat similar techniques. As a reward for his invention of the technique, Auenbrugger was dismissed from military hospital service though his private practice thrived.

His technique was rediscovered and popularized by Corvisart, who was Napoleon’s physician and remains popular to this day.

Auenbrugger was also a composer and wrote an opera for an Austrian empress.This composition was called “The chimney Sweep” and was a libretto for a comic opera. Here is a part of the music that he composed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTVLJJd0-OQ