Heart sound: Toward a consensus regarding their origin

Over 170 years after the invention of the stethoscope, still no general agreement exists concerning the origin of heart sounds. the continuing controversy between advocates of the 'valvular' and 'muscular' theories of heart sound generation is largely the result of misconception and oversimplification. With modern technology comes the tools needed to resolve those aspects which remain controversial. One method permitting a better understanding is the use of miniature sensors of exposed heart surface dynamics. This paper discusses our findings with this instrumentation as well as several important physical principles which will hopefully lead to a consensus among students of this subject.