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RENE Theophile Hyacinthe Laennec was born at Quimper, Lower Brittany, France, on Feb. 17, 1781. Ironically, the disease he helped to understand and elucidate with his invention was later to take his own life. Laennec was not quite five when his mother succumbed to tuberculosis. He was raised by his uncle, who gave him a sound education despite the turbulent times of the French Revolution. At 19, Laennec sought medical education in Paris. He was influenced by Corvisart's teachings which stressed bedside examination and autopsy studies. In his first three years, he wrote histories of some 400 patients and won prizes. When Laennec was appointed...