Lithophone

Lithophones are the oldest of the bar idiophones. We have already mentioned the ten note neolithic lithophone from Vietnam, but such instruments have died out.

A third line of evidence—the production of sound using the natural rock as lithophones—is, like the two just discussed, geographically widespread, covering all continents except perhaps Antarctica.

It is needless to dwell on the utility of the lithophone for finding vesical calculi and small fragments after lithotrity. The instrument in figured in Le Progrés Medica, 3 April, 1880.

Ogston of Aberdeen, has invented and advertised in the Lancet a new instrument which is termed a " lithophone," and is to enable surgeons to hear a stone in the bladder.

Mr James M'Kenzie Davidson, M.B., C.M., with the assistance of Processor Alex. Ogston of Aberdeen, has invented and advertised in the Lancet a new instrument which is termed a "lithophone," and is to enable surgeons to hear a stone in the bladder.

A sample of lithophone, one of the zinc sulphide whites examined by the author, had the following composition: […]

Orison B. Smith testified that he was familiar with lithophone; that it was known to trade as sulfid of zinc white and white sulphide of zinc; that it is zinc and barytes burnt together in a furnace, the barytes acting as a base for the zinc, which becomes sulphide of zinc; that the sulphide of zinc, commercially, would consist of a large portion of barytes and a large portion of sulphide of zinc and possibly a little oxide; that he recognized lithophone as one of the species of sulphides of zinc known to commerce.

Lithophone (ZnS.BaSO₄) under the action of light did not respond as rapidly as expected. Lithophone is well known to turn grey or even black on exposure to intense light, and later this dark color may turn to pure white in the absence of light or even in subdued light.