[The bicentenary of Josef Skoda's birth (1805-1881). An innovator in the field of the physical examination].

The bicentenary of Josef Skoda's birth (December 10(th) 2005) was seen as an excellent opportunity to review his accomplishments for internal medicine. He extended the physical examination, namely percussion and auscultation, and established the scientific basis for these techniques. While Skoda's predecessors interpreted sounds and murmurs by natural philosophy and phenomenologically, Skoda established diagnoses based on empirical and experimental investigations. He compared diagnostic findings with post mortem results at Rokitansky's morgue. Thus, Skoda's work led to the modern capabilities of the physical examination.