Ludwig Traube: The Man and His Space

The detection of dullness to percussion in the left hemithorax raises the possibility of pleural effusion, consolidation, or atelectasis. Percussion of Traube’s space, a semilunar tympanitic area overlying the gas bubble in the stomach, is a valuable maneuver in this regard: obliteration of Traube’s space favors a pleural effusion. Knowledge of the remarkable life of Traube, and the ability to demonstrate the utility of his sign on rounds, provides an opportunity in a technologic age to remind the medical student of the romance of bedside medicine.