In order to know the meaning of the term stethoscope we will proceed, first, to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can determine that it is a word that derives from the Greek, since it is the result of the sum of two well differentiated lexical components of that language:
-The noun “stêthos”, which can be translated as “chest”.
-The verb "skopein", which is synonymous with "observe."
This is called a instrument used by doctors to amplify the sounds that occur in the chest and in other sectors of the body, thus being able to listen to them without deformations and thus examine them.
This acoustic device allows listen to the inner sounds of the organism and develop a auscultation which allows to detect abnormalities. That is why stethoscopes are important in different specialties of the medicine , such as cardiology, speech therapy and kinesiology, among others.
In the same way, it is interesting to discover that this instrument was invented by a French doctor named René Laënnec (1781 - 1826). As he is rumored, he always "listened" to his patients' chest by sticking his ear to it, but one day he had a very prominent young breast patient and following that same procedure was not only uncomfortable and impractical but also a bit "violent."
For this reason, what he came up with was to use a small round cardboard that he had on hand and from that action he decided to invent what is now known as a stethoscope.
The most common use of the stethoscope is linked to the need to clearly hear the respiratory or cardiac noises . The professional introduces the headphones (olives) of the device in his ears and supports the bell or diaphragm on the body of the patient: the sound is transmitted through the rubber tubes that link the different parts of the instrument.
The Bell It is a membrane that vibrates and allows to transmit low frequency sounds, with long wavelengths. By making a firmer pressure, the membrane is mobilized, a ring comes into contact and its vibration is minimized or blocked, activating the mode diaphragm which makes it possible to listen to high frequency sounds (short wavelengths).
With the stethoscope it is possible to detect heart murmurs , pulmonary wheezing and peristaltic noises , for example. The device also helps to obtain information about the blood pressure .
It should be noted that there are also electronic stethoscopes that they wear batteries , are more sensitive and respond better to different frequencies, even with volume control.
Likewise, we cannot ignore the existence of other types of stethoscopes, among which Pinard's, which is used to hear the cardiac tones of the fetus, stands out because it is very good in terms of acoustics, and the Doppler. The latter can establish that it is appropriate for, among other things, to listen from what are blood flows in the heart of any person to movements called valves.
