Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-01-14
THE PHoNoGRAPH IN MEDICINE.
An Eastern Physician Comments on the Many
Uses to Which 1t May be Put.
Medical Record

Medical Record.
Although some ten years have elapsed
since Mr. Thomas A Edison startled the
world by inventing machine that stored
up sound and reproduced it at will, it is
only within the past few months that this
wonderful invention has been brought to
such degree Of perfection as makes it of
practical utility to the public at large.
Some time has passed since l began to in
yestigate the practicability of this ma
chine, so as to give TO the medical world
better and more certain means
of teaching, recording, reproduce
ing and demonstrating the physical
signs or sounds of the normal as well as
the diseased condition of the heart and
lungs. at this early stage of my expert
ments I must say that l predict a great
future for it and the opening of a new
field for investigation in physical dag
nosis and teaching.
1t is very extraordinary fact that,
while the deepest tone that our ears are
capable of recognizing is one containing
sixteen vibrations second, the phono-
graph will record ten vibrations
pitch until we hear a reproduce
ton from them. Similarly, vibrations
above the highest rate audible to the
ear can be recorded on the photograph
and then reproduced by lowering the
pitch until we actually hear the record of
those inaudible pulsations. From what
observations [ have already prac-
tically made am satisfied
that the photograph has great
future, and has opened up an entire new
field of investigation in that line. The
method which l adopted in making these
experimental physical examinations by
the photograph was carried out in the
following manner:
The photograph was placed on suita-
bic table before; tube in the shape of
the deaf conversation tube was attached
to the recording cylinder of the phonO-
graph; the other end was placed on that
part Of the chest which was to be eX-
plored; then the photograph was set in
motion before placing the tube in contact
with the chest. In order to register or
record upon the wax cylinder that part of
the chest which was intended to be exam
ined ii was found necessary, either be-
fore or directly after examining any part,
to register by its anatomical name that
part of the chest. This was done by
speaking into the photograph, so as to be
able, in reproducing, to distinguish those
physical sounds found in one part from
the other
For example, if I intend to examine
the sIpraclavicular region / speak into
the photograph while in notion before
placing the tube on the chest: .'Supra-
clavicular region - BY so doing these
words were directly registered. now
place the tube on that part of the chest
and examine slowly and thoroughly In
this way continue to explore the entire
heart and lungs It will be found adj
vantageous to allow the cylinder to make
a number of revolutions before removing
the tube to another part, in
order that more than one respira-
tory heart sound might be
registered. This is also to be carried out
on examining the heart-sounds.
When l had finished with my examiua-
ton l returned back the reprOducer, so
rs to repeat that which was registered
during the examination. The phono-
graph was now set in motion; direct at
tached stethOscope was applied to my
ears from the photograph. All the
sounds were heard in their varied pitch
and tone as they came along in perfect
clearness. The words and sentences that
l had spoken into it for the purpose of
recording the landmarks were all repro
duced.
With some extra experimenting / was
able to supply the use of the photograph
in such a manner as TO throw the physical
sounds, which had been previously reg
istered upon one of these wax cylinders,
into the auditorium, and thereby teach
directly a larger class. 1t is further pos
sible to construct physical sign cabinet
which has all registered cylinders repre-
Spnfjnp the different diseases of fhp
lungs and heart. When one wishes to
study any of the sounds of the heart or
lungs he can pick out of his cabinet the
cylinder which has registered upon it
such physical sounds. Various other
uses for which the photograph is now
fully ripe might be mentioned, but l am
not ready to give memoranda of these.