Auscultation

Auscultation (Lat. auscultare, 'to listen'), a mode of detecting diseases, especially those of the heart and lungs, by listening to the sounds produced in the cavity of the chest. This is done either by the unassisted ear (immediate auscultation), or by the aid of a simple sound-conveying instrument, the stethoscope (mediate auscultation). By care and attention, the normal sounds produced by respiration and the beating of the heart may be distinguished from the several abnormal sounds indicating disease. Developed into a scientific method by Laennec (q.v.), auscultation is classed among the most important of discoveries in modern medical science. See DIAGNOSIS, PERCUSSION, RESPIRATION, STETHOSCOPE.