The principles and practice of medicine : founded on the most extensive experience in public hospitals and private practice; and developed in a course of lectures delivered at University College, London / by John Elliotson ... ; with notes and illustrations by Nathaniel Rogers.
- Elliotson, John, 1791-1868.
- Date:
- 1839
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The principles and practice of medicine : founded on the most extensive experience in public hospitals and private practice; and developed in a course of lectures delivered at University College, London / by John Elliotson ... ; with notes and illustrations by Nathaniel Rogers. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.
23/1130
![or require the ear to be brought either into contact with it, or into connexion with it, by means of a solid medium, be despised ? The celebrated Hook not only did not despise the ear, as an inlet of knowledge, but looked forward to the invention of acoustic instru- ments, which would enable it to make important discoveries. Indeed, he almost prophesied the stethoscope. “ There may be a possibility,” says he, “ of discovering the internal motions and actions of bodies, by the sound they make. Who knows but that,—as, in a watch, we may hear the beating of the balance, and the running of the wheels, and the striking of the hammers, and the grating of the teeth, and multitudes of other noises,—who knows, I say, but that it may be possible to discover the motions of the internal parts of bodies (whether animal, vegetable, or mineral) by the sound they make;—that one may discover the works performed in the several offices and shops of a man’s body; and may thereby discover what engine is out of order, what works are going on at several times, and be still at others; and the like.—I could proceed further; but methinks I could hardly forbear to blush, when I con- sider how the most part of men will look upon this. But yet, again, I have this encouragement;—not to think all these things utterly impossible; though never so much derided by the generality of men, and never so seemingly mad, foolish, and fantastic; and that, as the thinking them impossible cannot much improve my knowledge, so the believing them possible may perhaps be an occasion for taking notice of such things, as another would pass by without regard, as useless. And somewhat more of encouragement I have also from experience; that I have been able to hear, very plainly, the beating of a man’s heart; and ’t.is common to hear the motion of the wind, to and fro, in the guts and other small vessels. The stopping in the lungs is easily discovered by the wheezing.—As to the motion of the parts one amongst another,—in order to their becoming sensible they require, either that their motions be increased, or that the organ [of hearing] be made more nice and powerful, to sensate, and distinguish them as they are ; for the doing of both which, I think it not impos- sible that, in many cases, there may be helps found.” Far be it from the defenders of auscultation and percussion to assert, that the diagnosis of thoracic diseases can never be doubtful. Skill in auscultation requires much application; and, even with the greatest, doubt will frequently exist. The stethoscope does not render the parietes of the chest transparent. Percussion and auscul- tation merely open a new set of symptoms to our notice; and, as](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28268623_0023.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
