Instrument used to amplify sounds from within the body, including heartbeat, pulse and breathing, so that they may be heard by the user. This may be a commemorative piece, and not intended for real use.

Part of a larger collection of medical artifacts, archival material and trade literature transferred to CSTM in 2002 from the former History of Medicine Museum in Toronto, Ontario.

Example of one-piece monaural stethoscope. First invented in France in 1816, the monaural stethoscope was compact and rugged, and greatly improved the physician’s ability to listen to internal body sounds. Monaural style used exclusively c. 1820-1850 when binaural stethoscope was introduced. This item may be a decorative piece, made to commemorate the ‘old infirmary’ site, pre-1872 move to Lauriston Place.