ABSTRACT
In consequence the author attention has been called to the most awkward and imperfect imitations, under the name of “The Denison Stethoscope,” and he have been chagrined to see joints uneven and loose, tubes impervious or partly occluded, and especially the flexible portion made with inflexible rubber tubing, with no regard whatever to directions. Probably a larger part of the sound is transmitted through the stethoscopic substance than through the hollow cavity. Portability and cheapness of construction are not cardinal points in a good stethoscope. Utility should be considered first, last, and chiefly. Yet the former points should not be lost sight of in making an instrument. It should be as short and compact as flexibility and convenience of use will allow, and should be proportioned in its different parts.
