Improvements in or connected with Stethoscopes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in or connected with Stethoscopes.
I, JAMES ERNEST ARNOLD, of 31, West Smithfield, in the City and County of
London, Surgical Instrument Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:
My invention refers to the construction of stethoscopes whereby they are
rendered more sensitive to or for conveying sounds to the ears clearly and dis-
tinctly from the body of the person examined than heretofore, and with this object
in view I arrange within the orifice of the trumpet shaped hollow cylindrical end,
which is placed against the body of the person to be examined, a conically shaped
cap or vessel, the apex of the cone being in communication with the inside of the
cap or vessel, and the branch tubes, to which the ordinary rubber tubes leading to
the ear branches are connected. The top of the cone should be sunk in or be
below the top or outer edge of the trumpet mouth, and the tube leading therefrom
should pass through the trumpet, down the outside thereof, and beneath same to
the junction of the ear tubes below the trumpet shaped mouth containing the cone
aforesaid. The base of the cone is supported by a ring connected near the base
of the trumpet mouth, and thus there is an air chamber formed within the cone
itself, and the base of the cylindrical stem by or through which the sound waves
pass or are conveyed from the body of the person under examination, to the inside
of the underside of the cone and thence through the ordinary connecting tubes to
the examiner's ears.
1 Itranh 100”
Improvements in or connected with Stethoscopes.
I, JAMES ERNEST ARNOLD, of 31, West Smithfield, in the City and County cf
London, Surgical Instrument Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:
My invention refers to the construction of stethoscopes whereby they are rendered
more sensitive to or for conveying sounds to the ears clearly and distinctly from
the body of the person examined than heretofore, and with this object in view,
within the orifice of the trumpet shaped hollow cylindrical end, which is placed
against the body of the person to be examined I arrange a conically shaped cap

page_text: or vessel, the cone being in communication with the inside of the cylindrical end,
and with the tube or tubes leading to the ear end of the instrument.
In order that my invention may be readily understood I will further describe
same with reference to the accompanying drawings, whereon, Fig. 1 shews in
sectional elevation, one form of stethoscope, constructed according to my invention,
and Fig. 2 is a plan view of same. Fig. 3 is an elevation shewing the invention
applied to an ordinary form of stethoscope having flexible ear tubes.
According to my invention within the hollow cylindrical part A, which is to be
placed against the body of the person to be examined, I arrange an inverted cap
or vessel B, of conical or tubular shape, with an open mouth or trumpet shaped
end. The cap or vessel B is arranged with its open end towards the inside of the
the cylindrical part A. and the top of the cap or vessel B should be sunk in or be
below the top or outer edge of the mouth of the cylindrical part A; the tube C
leading from the vessel B should pass through the trumpet hollow cylindrical
end, substantially as shewn down the outside thereof, and beneath same, where it
may form the stem D of the instrument, as at Figs. 1 and 2, or the tube C may
extend to the junction piece E of the ear tubes F F¹ as at Fig. 3 below the trumpet
shaped mouth A containing the cone or vessel B aforesaid. There is an air
chamber formed within the cap or vessel B itself, and the cylindrical stem or con-
mection C, by or through which the sound waves pass or are conveyed from the
body of the person under examination, and thence through the ordinary connecting
tubes, as for example is shewn at Figs. 1, 2 and 3, to the examiner's ears.
I preferably apply an elastic cushion, filled with air or glycerine, as at G to the
edge of the open ended cylindrical part A; such a cushion may be formed for
example of india rubber, and may have an annular air channel therein as shewn
to increase its elasticity, and render it capable of becoming adapted to the forma-
tion of the surface to which it is applied.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is:
1. In stethoscopes, the employment within the open ended cylindrical part (A)
which is to be applied to the body of the person to be examined, of the cap or
vessel (B) having an open (say trumpet shaped) end, towards the closed end of the
part A and tubular connection from the said vessel (B) to the ear end of the
instrument, substantially as and for the purposes described.
2. The general combination and construction composing my improvements in or
connected with stethoscopes, all arranged and acting, substantially as and for the
purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying
drawings.