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Wooden stethoscope

Stethoscope made of wood taken from Ward 24 of the old Glasgow Royal Infirmary; one of the wards in which Lister commenced antiseptic practice of surgery. The stethoscope was invented in France in 1816 by René Laennec. Although binaural stethoscopes (where sounds are listened to in both ears) were available in Lister’s time it was not uncommon to see simple models such as this one in use.