Theobald Boehm was a German flutist, flute composer, and flute maker whose primary mechanism and fingering method was commonly embraced by later artists. Many flute makers, especially the Frenchman Auguste Buffet, whose expertise the Boehm method was commonly used in the late 1830s, developed Boehm's initial system. In France and England, the flute method was readily introduced, although more slowly in Germany. Boehm developed and added the cylindrical flute body and parabolic head joint to his crucial work method in 1847; the latest version was universally adopted and is the first orchestral flute. As early as 1839, a Boehm-system clarinet was demonstrated, and Boehm-system oboes were also discovered. As well as an improved piano-stringing design, Boehm patented an iron-smelting process bearing his signature, and he undertook thorough acoustic studies. A subject of debate is how his flute improvements were entirely original or reflected refinements of contemporary technologies.