The stethoscope was invented in 1816 by a physician named Rene Laennec. Until that time the normal method of listening to chest functions was to place the ear directly upon the chest. Being a modest man Laennec determined to find a way to give some separation between himself and a woman's chest, while still being able to listen the inner functions. His first stethoscope was a simple roll of paper. Between the time of its invention and the Civil War the monaural stethoscope was fashioned in many designs and of various materials. This stethoscope is made by me, right in the USA. Made of Beech wood, it is stained and coated with 3 coats of varnish. It is 7 1/2 inches in length. The ear piece is 2 in diameter and is cupped to fit the ear. The chest end is 1 3/4 inches in diameter and is also cupped. T is a sound chamber drilled through its length.