Leopold Auenbrugger
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Leopold Auenbrugger or Leopold von Auenbrugg (November 19 1722 - May 17 1809), Austrian physician who invented percussion as a diagnostic technique.
He found out that by tapping lightly on the chest one can assess the texture of underlying tissues and organs. Using the method he was able to plot outlines of the heart. It was for the first time when a physician could relatively accurately and objectively determine an important sign of diseases. He published his findings in a booklet but nobody paid much attention to it.
The value of percussion in physical examination was later recognized by Jean-Nicolas Corvisart and he popularized it teaching it to his students.