Ford bell stethoscope

William F. Ford was an Englishman who gained prominence in the surgical instrument making in New York City. In 1855, he entered a partnership with William R. Goulding to manufacture surgical instruments, but the business failed. Ford then became an associate of George Wade who had purchased the assets of Goulding and Ford, and in 1861 the firm became Wade and Ford, collaborating with Bellevue distinguished surgeon Janes R. Wood. Wade and Ford became instrument makers to New York City Bellevue Hospital in the early 1860s. The Wade and Ford partnership was dissolved following the Civil War and Wade sold his interest in the business to Ford in 1866, which continued as the William F. Ford & Company. In 1870, Ford closed the business because of embezzlement by his bookkeeper. In 1870, he began working with the new company Shepard & Dudley who advertised that they were the sole manufacturers of Ford surgical instruments. In 1874 Ford joined Caswell, Hazard & Co., creating a surgical instruments department under the direction and personal supervision of W. F. Ford. During this affiliation, Ford enjoyed the patronage of prominent New York surgeons such as Bellevue surgeon Stephen Smith. He remained with Caswell, Hazard & Co. until 1891, when he then returned to run his own business with his son, located at 315 Fifth Avenue. He remained there until the end of the century. Ford developed the Ford Bell Stethoscope, originally patented in 1882. The key innovation in the Ford Bell Stethoscope was its adjustable watch mechanism holding the ear tubes together and nozzle (bell) chest piece which aimed to enhance the acoustic properties of the stethoscope. The bell was designed to be more sensitive to low-frequency sounds, such as heartbeats and certain lung sounds. This made it especially useful for physicians when diagnosing conditions related to heart.