It’snsad when someone is very sick, especially if that someone is soonngoing to die.
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nButnit’s a little less sad if that person can somehow add to people’snknowledge about illness, and thereby prevent future illness or death.nThen that person becomes a sort of hero.
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RenenLaennec, who was born in France on this date in 1781, helped a lot of peoplenbecome that sort of hero. He studied diseases of the chest (that is,ndiseases of the heart and lungs) and listened carefully to the soundsnheard in the chests of both well and sick people. If a patient died,nhe could often use an autopsy to determine what had gone wrong withnthat person’s systems. Then he could go back to his careful notesnabout the sounds he had heard in the patient’s chest, and he couldnteach doctors what to listen for in future patients.
RenenLaennec, who was born in France on this date in 1781, helped a lot of peoplenbecome that sort of hero. He studied diseases of the chest (that is,ndiseases of the heart and lungs) and listened carefully to the soundsnheard in the chests of both well and sick people. If a patient died,nhe could often use an autopsy to determine what had gone wrong withnthat person’s systems. Then he could go back to his careful notesnabout the sounds he had heard in the patient’s chest, and he couldnteach doctors what to listen for in future patients.n
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nApparently during Laennec’s time, a doctor listened to people’s chest sounds by pressing his ear tontheir chests. However, one time while treating a “queen size”nwoman, Laennec couldn’t hear her heart well. He rolled up a piece of paperninto a funnel-shaped tube, and he put the narrower end of the tube up to his ear and thenwider end on the woman’s chest. He could hear her heart, loud andnclear!
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Later,nLaennec created a wooden version of the listening tube, and he callednit a stethoscope. Of course, using this wooden funnel he was only usingnone ear to hear sounds.
Later,nLaennec created a wooden version of the listening tube, and he callednit a stethoscope. Of course, using this wooden funnel he was only usingnone ear to hear sounds.n
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nToday’snstethoscopes have flexible hollow tubes that make them much easier tonuse, and the sounds are carried to both ears through these tubes.nAlso, modern stethoscopes’ “funnels” have two sides—a diaphragm side and anbell side—which transmit different frequencies of sound. n
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Itnis ironic that Laennec, often called the father of chest medicine,ndied from tuberculosis, a “chest disease” or more precisely anbacterial infection of the lungs. His nephew is said to havendiagnosed his disease using one of his stethoscopes.
Itnis ironic that Laennec, often called the father of chest medicine,ndied from tuberculosis, a “chest disease” or more precisely anbacterial infection of the lungs. His nephew is said to havendiagnosed his disease using one of his stethoscopes.n
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nMakenyour own stethoscope…
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nOfncourse you can try what Laennec first did, and roll up a piece ofnpaper to carry sounds to one ear. Note: place the larger end of thenroll onto the chest and the smaller end up to your ear. Can you hearna heartbeat?
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nForna much fancier version of a stethoscope, check out Science Buddiesnor Science With Me.
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nAlsonon this date:
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nAnniversary of the first self-starting automobile
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RandomnActs of Kindness Day
RandomnActs of Kindness Dayn
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Anniversarynof first U.S. street with gas lighting
Anniversarynof first U.S. street with gas lightingn
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nBasketballnsuperstar Michael Jordan’s birthday
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