Rene theophile hyacinthe laennec biography

French physician (1781–1826)

René-Théophile-Hyacinthe Laennec^[a] (French:[laɛnɛk]; 17 February 1781 – 13 August 1826) was a French physician and musician.

His skill at carving his own wooden flutes led him to invent the stethoscope in 1816, while working at the Hôpital Necker.^[1] He pioneered its use in diagnosing various chest conditions.

Rene theophile hyacinthe laennec biography

He became a lecturer at the Collège de France in 1822 and professor of medicine in 1823. His final appointments were that of head of the medical clinic at the Hôpital de la Charité and professor at the Collège de France. He went into a coma and subsequently died of tuberculosis on August 13, 1826, at age 45.^[2]

Early life

Laennec was born in Quimper (Brittany).

His mother died of tuberculosis when he was five years old, and he went to live with his great-uncle the Abbé Laennec (a priest).^[3] As a child, Laennec became ill with lassitude and repeated instances of