When Was the Stethoscope First Invented?

Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laënnec (1781-1826) was a French physician who, in 1816, invented the stethoscope. Using this new instrument, he investigated the sounds made by the heart and lungs and determined that his diagnoses were supported by the observations made during autopsies.

Where was the first stethoscope invented?

The stethoscope was invented in France in 1816 by René Laennec at the Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital in Paris. It consisted of a wooden tube and was monaural. Laennec invented the stethoscope because he was not comfortable placing his ear directly onto a woman's chest to listen to her heart.

What did doctors use before stethoscope?

Wee (aka urine flasks) If the stethoscope became the symbol of a new approach to medicine and diagnosis, the most obvious representation of the earlier, humoral approach was a flask of urine.