Stethoscope

The stethoscope (from Ancient Greek στῆθος (stêthos) 'breast' and σκοπέω (skopéō) 'to look') is a medical device for auscultation, or listening to internal sounds of an animal or human body. It typically has a small disc-shaped resonator that is placed against the naked skin, with either one or two tubes connected to two earpieces. A stethoscope can be used to listen to the sounds made by the heart, lungs or intestines, as well as blood flow in arteries and veins. In combination with a manual sphygmomanometer, it is commonly used when measuring blood pressure. It was invented in 1816 by René Laennec and the binaural version by Arthur Leared in 1851.

A stethoscope that intensifies auscultatory sounds is called a phonendoscope.