Diagnostic medical supplies help doctors and nurses see and hear how the body is performing so that they can hopefully monitor and confirm good health or discover ill health. The invention of certain diagnostic instruments that are used in exam rooms every day have not only improved care in their own right, but have enabled the invention of other tools that can complement them.
1. Stethoscope
The stethoscope was invented to listen to the internal sounds of a human or animal body. Healthcare providers use the stethoscope most commonly to listen to heart and lung sounds during examination. Stethoscopes are also used to listen to the intestines, as well as blood flow through the arteries and veins.
The first stethoscope was invented in Paris, France in 1816 by René Laennec. Today, the stethoscope is a binaural instrument, meaning "two ears" are used to listen. The stethoscope today has a listening device that is placed in both ears to listen to the patient's internal body sounds. Laennec's stethoscope however was monaural, meaning only one ear was used to listed. In fact, the first stethoscope looked like the common hearing aid device of the day, known as an ear trumpet.
Throughout the 1820's, 30's, and 40's there were modest improvements that led to the idea of a flexible instrument rather than a fixed trumpet piece. There were also attempts at creating an effective binaural device. But it was not until 1851, when Irish physician Arthur Leared developed a working flexible binaural stethoscope that the medical community really latched onto. In 1852, George Cammann further perfected Leared's flexible binaural stethoscope so that it could be put into mass production. It is this model that Cammann produced that has been the standard stethoscope ever since.
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2. Opthalmoscope
An important invention in eye health is the opthalmoscope. Sometimes referred to as a "funduscope," because the tool is used by a clinician to look into a patient's fundus, the scope helps in the diagnosis of retina issues.
The first version of the opthalmoscope was invented in 1847 Charles Babbage, a London mathematician and inventor. Babbage, incidentally, is also credited as inventing the first programmable computer around the same time.
Since Babage was not a physician himself, he gave his opthalmoscope to doctor to use, but the doctor didn't recognize its potential in opthalmology. In 1851, Hermann von Helmholtz independently re-invented an opthalmoscope, and this time the invention took off and revolutionized opthalmology. Within ten years, opthalmoscopes had become very popular.
In 1915, Dr. Francis A. Welch and William Noah Allyn, built "the world's first handheld direct-illuminating ophthalmoscope." As a result, they founded Welch Allyn, a medical diagnostics manufacturer that is considered one of the industry's leaders today.More »
3. Glucose Meter
The glucose meter, an instrument used in hospitals, clinics, labs, and at home, is a device that measured the level of sugar in the blood. The sugar is known as "glucose."
The meter is typically used after a diagnosis of diabetes has been made, so that the patient and healthcare team can keep a close watch on the glucose levels throughout the day. When glucose gets outside of "normal" range, (too high or too low), it can lead to potentially dangerous consequences for the patient.
Like many inventions, the first version of the glucose meter was not the final version, but it did lead to further enhancements. In 1962, the first glucose enzyme electrode was invented in Cincinnati, which essentially became a pre-cursor to the glucose meter. Anton Clemens created what he called the Ames Reflectance Meter, which started get used in American hospitals in the 1970's. The first glucose meters for home use were marketed in 1981.
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