ABSTRACT
There are many early descriptions of abnormal valves dating from the 17th century, all taken from dead bodies. It was the stethoscope which enabled doctors to diagnose valve lesions during life. The stethoscope was introduced in 1819 by Laennec, a Frenchman, who became convinced that only if a heart was abnormal would it produce different sounds from normal. This is why he believed angina was not related to the heart.
