Which term describes the physician feeling the different parts of the body?

• A. Auscultation
• B. Inspection
• C. Percussion
• D. Palpation

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is using touch to examine the body's hidden or underlying structures. Palpation is the act of the physician feeling the body with their hands to assess texture, temperature, tenderness, swelling, masses, or organ size. It helps reveal clues that aren’t visible, such as a tender area in the abdomen, a firm mass, or a pulsatile structure.

Auscultation, by contrast, is listening with a stethoscope to sounds within the heart, lungs, or abdomen. Inspection is visual examination of the patient’s appearance and movements. Percussion involves tapping on a body surface to hear the sounds produced, which helps estimate the density or presence of fluid or air beneath the surface.

So, feeling the different parts of the body with the hands is palpation.