1722-1809

Viennese physician who discovered and classified the various sounds that healthy and diseased chests make when struck. By striking different areas of the patient's chest gently but firmly with his fingers, he was able to determine specific sites and types of chest conditions. He called this diagnostic technique "percussion" and published his results in Latin in 1761, but his work was scorned until Jean Nicolas Corvisart des Marets translated it into French in 1808.