Arthur Leared FRCP (1822 – 16 October 1879) was an Irish physician, scientist and traveller of the world. Practising in Dublin, he is best known for inventing the binaural stethoscope in 1851.
Arthur Leared FRCP (1822 – 16 October 1879) was an Irish physician, scientist and traveller of the world. Practising in Dublin, he is best known for inventing the binaural stethoscope in 1851.
The stethoscope, from Ancient Greek στῆθος (stêthos), meaning "breast", and σκοπέω (skopéō), meaning "to look", is a medical device for auscultation, or listening to internal sounds of an animal or human body. It typically has a small disc-shaped resonator that is placed against the naked skin, with either one or two tubes connected to two earpieces. A stethoscope can be used to listen to the sounds made by the heart, lungs or intestines, as well as blood flow in arteries and veins. In combination with a manual sphygmomanometer, it is commonly used when measuring blood pressure. It was invented in 1816 by René Laennec and the binaural version by Arthur Leared in 1851.
A stethoscope that intensifies auscultatory sounds is called a phonendoscope.