The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-02-28

OApAoH, AetterS
on Catarrh,n &c.
Entered according, to act of Congress, in the
year 1868, by Drs Lfghthll in the clerks Office of
the District Court Of the United States for the
Southern District of New York
Deafness is amisfortune very much to be deplored.
for we depend upon the sense of hearing for the de-
velopment Of speech in childhood, and our instruc
ton and social intercourse in after life Speech is
acquired by the imitation Of sounds; If therefore a
child is deprived Of his hearing it cannot sponta-
neousy or imitatively form articulate sounds.
though not the least defect exists in the organ of
voice, because it is impossible to initiate thing of
which we have no idea; or, in other words, which
the brain is prevented from conceiving-hence such
children will be dumb.
Even after speech has been clearly developed It
is sometimes lost or forgotten, should total deafness
supervene in early childhood. Children have been
brought to us for examination, who, having become
totally deafat the age of ten and even twelve years.
forgot by degrees the words by which they were
won't to convey their ideas, until at length, every
recollection of language being obliterated from
memory, they were dumb as those who had been
born deaf Neither hearing themselves or others
speak. their memory was unable to retain the
knowledge of articulation.
Such cases though sad in the extreme, need not be
wondered at when we consider that individuals of
ripe years artculate badly and are unable to prop
erly pitch their voices, should their hearing become
very defective; they speak sometimes in loud bel
lowing tome and at other times not above brea tn.
Impairment of hearing to any considerable de-
gree nterferes seriously with usefulness in almost
every sphere of life; consigns the sufferer to sol-
tude in the midst of society, and deprives him of
advantages and pleasures which are among the
chief enjoyments of our existence.
Considering these circumstances, It is undoubted-
ly desirable for the public at large to become ae-
quainted, to extent, with the more import ant
facts pertaining to this precious sense and its deli
cate organ; how useful will prove knowledge of
those conditions of the which are likely to be
| followed by an interruption of its functions and
how advantageous general idea as to the manner
in whichsuch conditions may oftentimes be prevent
| ed.
Anatomy of the Ear.
The ear is anatomically divided into three parts
the external ear, middle ear or tympanum, and the
internal ear or labyrinth The external ear is com
posed of the auricle which collects the fluctuations
of the atmosphere, and the external canal through
which these are converted to the drum-head or
membrana-tympani, "a thin and very delicate menu
auditory canal, Theoretically closing it, which vi
brates under the influence of the impinging atmos-
pheric waves The middle ear or tympanum is a
small irregular cavity, about the size Of small
bean, internal of the drumhead, which divides it
from the external ear. The inner ear consists Of
minute delicate canals and spiral windings, carved
in the bone adjoining the tympanum which contain
tlaments of the auditory spread ON delicate
membrane. This membrane has the exact shape OF
its bony case, but is somewhat smaller, leaving an
intervening space, which is filed by peculiar Ii
| quid, called perilymph so that the membraneous
labyrinth floats in the bony one. Across the middle
ear stretches movable chain Of the most delicate
little bones end of which is grown to the drum.
head and the other end is attached to similar but
much smaller membrane of that part of the laby-
rinth called yestibule consequently the vibration
THE membrana-tympa producesa like vibration
of the membrane of the labyrinth, and this cor
responding agitation of its fluid This agitation
produces a certain impression on the nerve=hbres,
which conveyed to the brain by the agency of the
auditory nerve, and conceived by the mind as sound
On the floor of the drum Immediately behind the
drum-head, is small aperture which is the oriHce
of the eustachlan tube, the other end of which
opens into the upper part of the throat Immediately
behind the posterior mares. Through this tube the
middle ear receives the supply of air necessary for
the VARIABILITY of its membranes and the commune
| cation of sound. -.r
Causes of Deafness.
The loss of hearing results from the abnormal con.
dton Of any of the parts of the ear above described
Thus it may proceed from distractions of the exter-
nal canal which would prevent the undulations of
the atmosphere from reaching the drum-head, or it
may be caused by inflammation and subsequent thick
ening Of thai membrane, by which its VARIABILITY
would become impaired or destroyed. The tympa
num- or middle ear, may be affected by acute, sub
acute, or chronic Inflammation, producing various
effects II acute, 1t usually results in an offensive
and irritating discharge in the process Of which the
small bones may be lost, the labyrinth inhamed,
and even the brain become affected. In the chronic
form it produces a thickening of its lining mem
brane, which diminishes the size Of that already
small cavity. The quantity of air necessary to the
vibration of the drun-head and for the communica-
tion Of the vibrations to the labyrinth is cores
ppndingly reduced, the peculiar secretion thrown
out so abqndantly by the diseased mucus mems
brane tends still further to diminish the size of the
drum, and to exclude still further portion of the
necessary air. "a ..,a
The small bones of the ear being covered by the
mucus membrane, are, by its thickened condition,
az we'll as by the dimnption of the size Of the drum
prevented from acting with that freedom and pre-
eision necessary for SO delicate mechanism Bands
Of adhesion similar 20 the false membranes pro.
duced by croup) sometimes formed by the
Inflammation between these little bones and the
walls of the drum, and their action becomes still
further impeded
Deafness in such cases, is owing to the imperfect
or interrupted communication of the vibrations Of
the drum-head TO the labyrinth.
The eustachan tube may be INSTRUCTED by mucus.
incrustations, or by thickening of its lining mem.
brane, similar to the condition of the during
cold; atmospheric air is thereby prevented from
entering the tympanum, and the VARIABILITY of its
membrane impaired or lost. The auditory nerve
may be affected either in the labyrinth or in its
course to the BRAIN impairng its power to receive
and convey impressions to that organy and even the
brain itself, by some morbid process may be unable
to conceive as sound the most perfect impression
received by the auditory nerve
some thing Abont Nostrums and Empi-
ricism.
The abnormal conditions briefly enumerated
above, in their various shades and gradations pro-
duce common effect: Loss of Hearing. Deafness
is therefore not adisease in ITSELF but merely the
designation OF an impaired condition of hearing
which may arise, however, from variety of causes.
1t is the height Of absurdity to suppose that any
one remedy or single operation can remove it, be
cause effects can only be removed by eradication
of the cause from which they proceed; and as in
deafness the same effects are produced by entirely
different causes, speciees whether in the shape Of
remedies or operations are impositions and impos-
sibilities. These remarks are from observing fire.
quent announcements in the papers of specifics
such ear-oils electric-ois, acousticos, &C., &C..
and also of "new discoveries or snew modes Of
treatment for deafness" surgeon may, through
study close observation large experience or favor
ed by accident, be enabled to improve, perfect or
even discover method of treating particular dis
of the ear; but he must indeed be possessed Of
most peculiar inventive genius who has diseoyereda
mode Of treatment for Deafness, for in that case