Guessing Tubes

Synopsis: Dr Graham Easton presents the story of the stethoscope. Invented by a Frenchman named Lannaec in the early 19th century, the original design has barely altered. But digital technology is set to change all that...

The doctor’s stethoscope is probably the best known and most visible badge of office a physician can carry. Listening through it, however, is also one of the most difficult skills any medical student has to master. More art than science, the use of the stethoscope requires intense concentration and a deep understanding of the noises the body can make. So tricky is stethoscope diagnosis, that most doctors hang on to the same stethoscope throughout their careers, terrified that if they change they will no longer be able to recognise the sounds it picks up. New digital stethoscopes can record, simplify and highlight sounds as never before, but will the new high-tech device spell the end of the old fashioned hearing tube?
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Year of release: 2005
Year of production: 2002
Notes: Broadcast on Radio 4 from 8/10/2002
Subjects: Medical sciences; Technology
Keywords: stethoscopes; digital technology

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