LAENNEC, RENE TIIf10D0RE HYACINTHE (1781-182(1), inventor of the stethoscope, was born at Quimper in Britanny, February 17, 1781. Early- trained to medicine tinder his uncle at Nantes, he completed Ids medical studies at Paris, where he received the degree of doctor in 1804. He specially distinguished himself by his researches in pathological anatomy, and was regarded as one of the first practitioners of the capital when in 1816 he was appointed physician at the Necker hospital. There he continued those researches which resulted in the discovery of the stethoscope in the manner already fully described under AUSCULTATION (VOL iii. p. 100). Laenuec himself fell a victim to phthisis, the disease which, of all others, he had specially studied. For a few years lie was able to occupy a medical chair in the Collage de France; bnt he died on August 13, 1826.

Laennee's chief work is the TraiM do VAuscultation mediate, 1819, in which he announced his discovery. It has been translated into various languages. He was the author also of Propositions stir la doctrine medicate d'Hippoerate, 1804; of lfthnoires sue les vets vesiealai•es, 1804 ; and of articles in the Diet, des Sciences Medicates, and other publications.