Originally published in French in 1819, Laënnec's Treatise on the Diseases of the Chest revolutionized the understanding and diagnosis of respiratory and cardiac ailments. In this English translation by J. Forbes, Laënnec's innovative use of the stethoscope to visualize internal organs and tissues is explained in detail, and his contributions to the field of medical science are illuminated.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.