Kup eagerly leaned in and pressed his ear to the Stethoscope. He felt himself drawing closer to the lungs inside that gaunt chest, as though he were leaning against a giant bellows.
A rush of air passed through some narrow tubes and flowed into a chamber that expanded and contracted, producing smooth, alternating sounds of breathing.
But the air did not move smoothly here. As it passed through a cavity whose size clearly did not match the tubes, it whistled, making a strange echo like air blown into a large urn thick with limescale.
It was also like blowing through a softened reed beneath a thin layer of spoiled, slightly viscous water, raising a dense, lingering string of bubbles that burst with a popping sound.
The crackles came and went with each breath. After listening through several cycles and making sure he could recognize the sound again next time, he stepped aside.
"Why be so polite? Come listen, everyone. You'll run into this sooner or later." Kraft held the Stethoscope out to invite them.
There was no way to stay out of sight now. David and several assistants and apprentices took turns trying out the new little instrument. Lecturer Velen also came over curiously and listened to the sounds in the lungs for a while, affirming its practical value.
"I think you really can distinguish what's going on inside without actually seeing it, by listening to different breathing sounds in the lungs." He took the Stethoscope and tried placing it on other parts of the patient's chest, as well as his abdomen and neck.
"Perhaps we can use this to hear the sounds of other internal organs too. People have thought of doing this before, but it's hard to hear anything clearly with your ear pressed against someone, and it's