when was the stethoscope invented
Medical students listening to their heartbeats using a multiple stethoscope, c.1920s. Credits:Wellcome Library, London. RenÃ© Laennec invented the stethoscope in 1816. While consulting a female patient, Laennec needed to listen to the womanâs chest. Before the stethoscope, doctors would place their ear directly onto the patientâs chest, a practice called auscultation.