I know when my other half says “can I borrow your phone a minute” that I’m going to get it back with some app or another on it. And as expected, he came downstairs having downloaded iStethoscope (Free) – an app by undercover scientist software that is supposed to turn your iPhone into a stethoscope.
And oh my how weird! Very very strange listening to your heart. Actually I didn’t listen to mine, only my husband’s – I didn’t want to hear my own!! It’s quite difficult to get it in the right place (doctor’s get a lot of training in how to use a stethoscope successfully after all), but once you find a good location you can really hear what’s going on inside your chest. The heartbeat is very clear – you can definitely hear it pumping. It’s almost freaky, a bit surreal even.
So if you have an iPhone (won’t work on iPod touch because you need a microphone) then give this a go… you will almost certainly never find a use for it medically speaking, but it’s one of those apps you’ve got to try!
Info on iTunes here: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/istethoscope-free/id383008092?mt=8