The stethoscope is an acoustic medical device for auscultation or listening to the internal sounds of an animal or human body. The stethoscope amplifies the sounds of the body by picking up vibrations, creating acoustic pressure waves that travel up the tubing to the listener’s ears.

A stethoscope can be used to listen to the sounds made by the heart, lungs or intestines, as well as blood flow in arteries and veins.