Electronic sensors could replace the stethoscope and give a far more accurate rendering of the sounds of the lungs in health and disease.
When the doctor listens to your chest with a stethoscope, he or she hears the 'song' that the lungs make as air passes in and out. The notes of the song are different in health and disease but, until recently, no-one knew what a wide range of sounds the lungs can make.

Researchers at Philipps University, Marburg, Germany, have made 2,500 lung 'song' recordings from over 250 healthy patients and 300 patients suffering a range of diseases, including asthma, bronchial obstruction and pneumonia. They are creating a database, known as Marburg Respiratory Sound (MARS), with the aid of colleagues in Greece. This will help in the precise diagnosis of lung disease.

The scientists believe that MARS will have many applications - such as monitoring the condition of people with asthma via a telephone line, or checking on people in intensive care. It might also lead to the replacement of the traditional stethoscope with a set of electronic sensors, so doctors can hear the individual 'song' of the lungs more readily.