Today I found out that the stethoscope was invented relatively recently, in the mid-1800s.

What is most interesting is the motivation for its invention. Previously, the lungs were listened to by resting the ear on the chest, and Dr. René Théophile Hyacinthe Laennec realized that his patients, especially women, were made uncomfortable by this gesture, which, moreover, they endured at a time of suffering. So as an act of kindness he invented the stethoscope so that he could stand at a respectful distance while examining his patients.

It is very nice to see that a technical development came out of an act of love.

#TIL