Today anyone who wants to demonstrate a doctor’ will include a stethoscope. What was used before its invention in 1816?final week,thanks to a Google doodle celebrating the 235th anniversary of Réne Laennec’s birth, many of us learned that his invention, or the stethoscope,will be 200 years broken-down later this year. This begs a crucial question. How on earth were doctors recognised and stereotyped on stage and in caricature before a handy stethoscope could be slung around their necks?What, before this ubiquitous instrument, and typified the image of the doctor or physician?Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com