美国几乎每所医学院都为新生提供白大褂和听诊器。
The act is part of a long tradition. But it is more than just symbolic. Medical schools still teach stethoscope skills. Doctors must be able to use them well to get their licenses.
这是一项悠久传统一部分。但是它不仅仅是象征性的。医学院仍在教授听诊器技能。医生们必须能够很好地使用听诊器才能获得许可证。
But the stethoscope, 200 years after its invention, is facing an uncertain future.
但是听诊器在发明200年之后面临着不确定的未来。
New devices can help doctors find problems in the heart, lungs and other areas. They use ultrasound technology, artificial intelligence and smartphone apps.
新设备可以帮助医生发现心脏、肺部等部位的问题。它们使用超声波技术、人工智能以及智能手机应用程序。
Dr. Eric Topol is a world-renowned heart doctor. He considers the stethoscope obsolete – in other words, old and out of date. It "was OK for 200 years," Topol said. But "we need to go beyond that. We can do better."
埃里·托普博士是世界著名的心脏医生。他认为听诊器已经过时啦。托普表示：“听诊器已经用了200年了，但是我们需要超越这一点，我们可以做得更好。”
Students at Indiana University, one of the nation's largest medical schools, learn stethoscope skills. But they also get training in hand-held ultrasound technology. The training is part of a program launched there last year by Dr. Paul Wallach, one of the school's leaders.
印第安纳大学是美国最大的医学院之一，这里的学生需要学习听诊器技能。但是他们也开始接受手持超声技术的培训。该培训是这所学校的负责人之一保罗·瓦拉赫博士去年发起的一项计划的一部分。
Five years ago, he created a similar program at the Medical College of Georgia. Wallach believes that within the next ten years, hand-held ultrasound devices will become part of the usual physical exam, just like the reflex hammer.
5年前，瓦拉赫在乔治亚医学院创建了一个类似的项目。瓦拉赫认为在未来10年内，手持超声设备将成为日常体检的一部分，就像反射锤一样。
But Wallach added that he isn't ready to declare the stethoscope dead. He believes younger doctors will be wearing "a stethoscope around the neck and an ultrasound in the pocket."
但是瓦拉赫还说，他尚未准备好宣布听诊器的消亡。他认为年轻医生会“脖子上挂着听诊器，口袋里装着超声设备。”
Modern-day stethoscopes look different than the first stethoscope. It was invented in the early 1800s by Frenchman Rene Laennec. But the devices work in basically the same way. Sound waves make the device's flat metal area shake. The shaking moves the sound through the tubes to the ears.
现代听诊器看上去跟最初的听诊器有所不同。听诊器是18世纪初由法国人雷奈克发明的。但是这些设备的工作原理基本相同。声波会使得该设备的平坦金属区域震动。这种震动会将声音通过胶管传递到耳朵。
But hearing and understanding sounds from the human body requires a trained ear.
但是听到和听懂来自人体的声音需要耳朵训练有素。
Dr. James Thomas is a heart doctor at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. He says that with medical advances and competing devices, some younger doctors are not being trained well on the stethoscope. He notes recent studies that medical school graduates in some areas "may miss as many as half of murmurs using a stethoscope."
詹姆斯·托马斯博士是芝加哥西北大学医学院的心脏医生。他说，随着医学进步和竞争设备的发展，有些年轻医生在听诊器方面的培训不够好。他指出，最新研究表明，某些地区的医学生“使用听诊器时可能会听不到多达一半的听诊杂音。”
There is, however, a large price difference between normal stethoscopes and high-tech devices. Stethoscopes usually cost under $200, compared with at least a few thousand dollars for some of the new devices.
但是普通听诊器和高科技听诊器之间的价格差异很大。听诊器价格通常在200美元以下，而某些新设备至少需要几千美元。
Dr. Dave Drelicharz has been a doctor for children for more than 10 years. He understands the attraction of the newer devices. But, he says, until the price comes down, the stethoscope "is still your best tool."
戴夫·德勒夏斯博士担任儿科医生已经十多年了。他了解这种新型设备的吸引力。但是他表示，在价格降下来之前，听诊器“仍然是您最好的工具。”
He said, "During my work hours in my office, if I don't have it around my shoulders, it's as though I was feeling almost naked."
他说：“我上班期间如果不戴上听诊器，就感觉跟没穿衣服一样。”
I'm John Russell.
我是约翰·罗素。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，禁止转载，违者必究！)