Stethoscopes

Tubing (1), Stem (2), Chest piece (A): Non-chill rims (3), bell for low frequencies (4), Membrane (diaphragm) for high frequencies (5), Headset binaural (B): Ear-tips (6), Ear-tube (7).

A classic stethoscope is an acoustic listening device used to listen to body sounds amplified by its design, more commonly those emitted by the lungs, the heart, the abdomen and the intestines. There are two sides to a standard stethoscope: a bell (4) and a diaphragm or membrane (5). When the diaphragm or membrane is put on the chest, the sounds of the body cause the diaphragm or membrane to vibrate, generating sound waves that move up the tube to the user’s ears. When the bell is put on the chest, it is the skin that generates the vibrations from which sound waves travel up the tube. Issues with blood pressure, blood flow, respiration or foetus development, for example, can be detected by a trained user because of the distinctively different sounds they can hear.