Stethoscope

The stethoscope is used for listening to sounds inside the body (eg: the heart, the lungs, and the bowels). Sound waves are transmitted along the rubber tubing of the stethoscope to the earpieces. The end piece has two components: one is called the diaphragm, which is flat, and the other has the shape of a bell. The diaphragm screens out low pitched sounds and transmits high pitched sounds. The bell endpiece utilizes the skin of the patient as a diaphragm. So, depending on the amount of pressure exerted by the doctor on the bell, the pitch of the sounds heard will vary. Generally, the bell is best for hearing low-pitched sounds.