mEDICAL DISCOVERIES Essays - Ren Laennec, Medical Sign,

Laennec's embarrassment at the prospect of getting too close to the female anatomy of an attractive young woman may have motivated his invention at that moment, but he had long since been aware of another method of physical diagnosis which preceded and set the stage for his discovery of mediate auscultation. In 1761, the Austrian physician, Leopold Auenbrugger described percussion for the first time in his Inventor Novum. The text was a brief pamphlet that was translated into French and popularized by Laennec's own teacher, Corvisart, almost 30 years later. Auenbrugger invented the thumping technique which doctors use to determine whether the underlying area of either the chest or abdomen holds a hollow or solid structure. His background as an innkeeper's son (tapping on beer kegs to see how full they were) and a musician gave him the necessary knowledge and experience with resonance, pitch, and tonal quality to understand how to tap out the differences in tissue density. Auenbrugger 's story of inventing percussion is not unlike Laennec's. Both men found creative methods of diagnosis by employing their highly trained ears in order to gain a clearer picture of the body's interior. Final Accomplishments Following his great discovery, in 1819 Laennec published the famous Treatise. In it, he described the results of experiments he had done with the stethoscope. The two-volume work, which was received with mixed reviews, was often sold along with the new instrument Soon Laennec's teachings were widely known and had gained respect all over the Western world. Unfortunately, Laennec was unable to enjoy the accomplishment of his widely acclaimed masterpiece in good health. The writing of the book had fully exhausted him, and a month before publication he was forced to resign his hospital post and give up his practice. Laennec left Paris and arrived on October 8, 1819 at the small family estate in the Breton countryside called Kerlournec.