That iconic piece of equipment that hangs around all physicians necks that gives them a professional aura. We all know what this is, it’s the stethoscope. Have you ever wondered how doctors listened to their patients lungs and heart before the stethoscope was invented? How they made accurate diagnosis without the essential stethoscope all healthcare workers use today? Before the early 1800’s physicians didn’t have a tool to do this. They would place their ear next to the patient's chest and back to hear the sounds of the body specifically the heart and lungs. The creation of the stethoscope changed the way physicians performed examinations, listened, diagnosed, and treated patients. The definition of the stethoscope from Wikipedia is:
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The stethoscope has made a variety of changes over the past years and did not once look like the stethoscope we all know today. The stethoscope took many years to become the iconic design like the ones we see today. The stethoscope has become safer for both the patient and the physician and has given them a more sterile working environment. Stethoscopes come in many styles and colors now and they are continuously creating new looks and advancements. Today there are many types of stethoscopes: acoustic, electronic, adult, and pediatric. Other industries are also finding new ways to incorporate the stethoscope into the type of practices they perform, and doctors are not the only health care worker who uses a …show more content…
His “wooden tube was the first true stethoscope” (Roguin). The stethoscope was funnel shaped and the physician could place their ear on the smaller end and then place the other larger end on the patient's chest or back. A few years later physicians created a long tube attachment that could place the physician and the patient farther away from each other and provide the patient with more privacy. This was a medical breakthrough. Physicians now could listen to patients without having to lay there head on the patient's chest. This started to cut down on physicians falling ill from the same symptoms their patients had and prevented them from spreading the illness to other patients. Patients in the 1800’s didn’t have the best hygiene and many of them had lice, because of the poor living conditions. It was also hard for physicians to hear the sounds of obese patients, because they had too much tissue to try and listen through. Still true today, many patients struggle to keep proper hygiene and doctors do not want to get close to a patient that has bad hygiene. A patient with bad hygiene can transfer the bacteria and other particles to the doctor if they have to come in very close contact like they used to before they had the stethoscope. Now doctors can stand a comfortable distance away from patients while also being able to listen to the sounds of the patient. With the new style of
The stethoscope has made a variety of changes over the past years and did not once look like the stethoscope we all know today. The stethoscope took many years to become the iconic design like the ones we see today. The stethoscope has become safer for both the patient and the physician and has given them a more sterile working environment. Stethoscopes come in many styles and colors now and they are continuously creating new looks and advancements. Today there are many types of stethoscopes: acoustic, electronic, adult, and pediatric. Other industries are also finding new ways to incorporate the stethoscope into the type of practices they perform, and doctors are not the only health care worker who uses a …show more content…
His “wooden tube was the first true stethoscope” (Roguin). The stethoscope was funnel shaped and the physician could place their ear on the smaller end and then place the other larger end on the patient's chest or back. A few years later physicians created a long tube attachment that could place the physician and the patient farther away from each other and provide the patient with more privacy. This was a medical breakthrough. Physicians now could listen to patients without having to lay there head on the patient's chest. This started to cut down on physicians falling ill from the same symptoms their patients had and prevented them from spreading the illness to other patients. Patients in the 1800’s didn’t have the best hygiene and many of them had lice, because of the poor living conditions. It was also hard for physicians to hear the sounds of obese patients, because they had too much tissue to try and listen through. Still true today, many patients struggle to keep proper hygiene and doctors do not want to get close to a patient that has bad hygiene. A patient with bad hygiene can transfer the bacteria and other particles to the doctor if they have to come in very close contact like they used to before they had the stethoscope. Now doctors can stand a comfortable distance away from patients while also being able to listen to the sounds of the patient. With the new style of