The stethoscope [pictured here right] has almost become synonymous with medical practice – it is useful particularly for listening to patients’ chests and abdomens.
A perhaps less well known piece of ‘medical equipment’ is the tumbler (drinking glass) [pictured here below].
Pressing a transparent tumbler against a rash and noting whether the rash fades or not from the tumbler’s pressure is known as the tumbler test.
A rash that does not fade – especially in children – can portend serious illness.
Researchers are skeptical about the tumbler test (Mant D, Van den Bruel A. Should we promote the tumbler test? Arch Dis Child, 2011 (7):613-4.)
Here is a brief overview of the controversial tumbler test.