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Previous Volume 334:658-660 March 7, 1996 Number 10 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Laënnec's invention of the stethoscope in 1806 was soon followed by auscultation of the fetal heart, which was pioneered by Kergaradec. Hoping to hear the fetus crying and splashing about in the womb, Kergaradec heard "beats occurring 143 to 148 times per minute, and the patient's pulse was only 72 beats per minute." He wondered "whether it would be possible to judge the state of health or disease of the fetus from the variations which occur in the beat of the fetal heart."¹ The publication of An Introduction to the Use of the Stethoscope by Stokes in 1825² popularized the . . . [Full Text of this Article]

References

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Frasch, M. G., Muller, T., Weiss, C., Schwab, K., Schubert, H., Schwab, M. (2009). Heart Rate Variability Analysis Allows Early Asphyxia Detection in Ovine Fetus. Reproductive Sciences 16: 509-517 [Abstract]