Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article
Historic Treasure of the Week -
September 11, 1983
By A.W. Cavins, M.D.
Vigo County Historical Society
Stethoscopes were made of wood
The popular image pictures the physician with a stethoscope around his neck or dangling from the pocket of his white coat, and recently, some nurses and paramedics use the instrument also. But it was not always thus, for the stethoscope itself dates back only to 1819, when its use was described and urged by R.T.H. Laennec, M.D., a French physician at Paris. He even invented the name, stethoscope.
Furthermore, it could be draped from the neck since it consisted at first of a tubular cylinder of wood with one end funnel-shaped for application to the patient’s chest, the other end slightly modified for the doctor’s ear. Some years later improvements were added to make its use more flexible, using both ears, too, by means of rubber tubing and shaped ear pieces--a far more efficient arrangement.
The museum has a rare and excellent sample of the old wooden stethoscope on display. It is six inches long and the bell flares to one and one-half inches in diameter. It was made by some good wood-turner from a single piece of wood of light weight. It was given to Dr. John R. Haslem of Terre Haute by an elderly patient from Illinois and, subsequently, was donated to the museum by Dr. Haslem’s widow.
The original owner and user is unknown but most likely it was in use in the 1830’s and 1840’s.
This simple instrument initiated tremendous advances in the diagnosis, and, therefore, in the treatment of diseases of the chest and heart. Modern, more complicated listening devices are but extensions of Laennec’s original idea. It is impossible for persons not versed in anatomy and pathology to appreciate this man’s contribution to medical practice. Ironically enough Laennec himself died of pulmonary tuberculosis in 1826 at the age of 45.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.