A stethoscope is a medical diagnostic device for listening to the sounds made by the heart, lungs, bronchi, and other body organs.

The stethoscope was invented by the French physician René Laennec in 1816. The traditional way of listening to the heart consisted in placing the ear on the patient’s chest, but the physician once decided that it was more appropriate to use a rolled piece of paper to listen to the heartbeat of a woman with a particularly ample bosom. Later, René Laennec improved the design of the instrument by using a wooden or metal cylinder with funnel-shaped cavities at the ends.

This instrument could have belonged to Anton Levitsky, a military doctor who, after his resignation, worked as the head of the railway hospital in Vyatka. In his memoirs, the Vyatka lawyer and well-known public figure Alexander Prozorov wrote about Levitsky,

In a short time, Levitsky achieved popularity in Vyatka. He was considerate towards patients, had a wonderful bedside manner, was ready to arrive at any time of the day or night, and his treatment consistently produced positive results — all of this guaranteed him immense popularity even outside of Vyatka. He worked tirelessly around the clock, received patients both in the railway hospital and in his own house, and visited his patients even at night.

In 1910, Anton Levitsky built a house designed by the architect Emil Nykvist. Initially, the basement was used for household purposes, the first floor housed a waiting area for the patients, above it was the master bedroom, and in the attic — the children’s room. The house has a unique shape and continues to stand out among other buildings nowadays. Back in the day, legends were made about it. For example, there were rumors that the doctor built such an impressive mansion on purpose so that the governor’s house standing opposite seemed like a modest hut.