The development of the stethoscope
| Date | Inventor | Development |
|---|---|---|
| 1816 | Laennec | Rolled paper cone, later a wooden tube |
| 1828 | Priorry | Funnel shaped bell, a lightened stem, and thinner earpiece for a better seal |
| 1843 | Williams | The first binaural stethoscope, using lead pipes for earpieces |
| 1851 | Marsh | Stethoscope chestpiece was fitted with a flexible membrane |
| 1855 | Cammann | Binaural stethoscope with flexible tubing |
| 1894 | Bianchi | First stethoscope with a rigid diaphragm, known as a “phonendoscope” |
| 1925 | Bowles and Sprague | Combination of bell and a rigid diaphragm chestpiece as used today |
| 1945–46 | Rappaport, Sprague, and Groom | Experimented with various designs to determine ideal properties for the modern binaural stethoscope—for example, a combination chestpiece, short tubing with low internal volume and well fitting earpieces8–10 |
| 1956 onwards | Various (for example, Leatham, Littman, etc) | Various modern stethoscopes have been developed with improvements to weight and appearance but using the same principles described by Rappaport, Sprague, and Groom |