The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-05-25
CONCERNING THE EARS
Common Habits which Frequently
Injure Them.
Methods to Pursue When Symptoms OF
Disease Appear-Danger From Picking
the Ears and the Indiscriminate
Use of Favorlte Remedies.

The ears are so often subject to dis
ease, especially in early life, that peo-
pie should know more of them than
they now generally do. A little, but
not much, can be said about the care
they need. The real apparatus of hear
ing is, fortunately, SO well constructed,
and so well protected in it's situation,
it does very we'll, as rule, under the
''let alone treatment.
Anatomists have divided the ear into
three parts. A description of two is
comparatively easy, but the other is
too difficult to undertake. The drum
of the ear is the dividing line between
the external and the so-called middle
ear. The drum lies about an inch and
a quarter within the passage. Beyond
the drum is the actual hearing appa-
ratus. The outermost part of the eX-
ternal ear is trumpet-shaped, so as to
receive and collect sounds from all
quarters. The middle ear, lying back
of the drum. is Il small cavity which
communicates with deep caverns, which
are also q part of the hearing appa-
ratus. The middle ear also cOmmuni-
Gates with the upper part of the throat
properly the pharynx-by a narrow
passage called the eustachian tube.
Hence it will be seen that but for the
drum of the ear there would be one
continuous passage from the outer ear
to the throat. Patients who have suf-
readily appreciate this fact, for in
blowing the nose the air escapes
through the ear with q whistling sound.
The eustachian tube plays several i'm
portant parts. Were it not for that the
drum. owing to the absence of air on
one side. would not vibrate, and the
hearing power, while not necessarily
wholly destroyed, would be very much
impaired.
Although the drum of the ear lies
an inch and a quarter within the pas
sage it is very often injured, and, in fact,
destroyed by the wanton carelessness
in picking the ears. An instrument
quite often used for that purpose is the
hair-pin. In picking the ears possible
injury to the drum is by no means the
only danger to be apprehended. The
lining of the ear passage is quite SEN
sitive to irritation. 1t requires but
very little rubbing or scratching to in
flame it, and even if that irritation be
limited TO the outermost part of the
passage, as it is where only the finger
is used, there is decided tendency
for the trouble caused to extend up to
and involve the drum. Many people
must have noticed that after even gen.
tiy picking the ear there soon was felt
an uncomfortable sense of fullness deep
within, giving evidence of an extension
of the irritation. Picking the ear, even
if limited to the outer part of it, also
gives rise to small assesses, which
are exceedingly painful and slow to
disappear. There is naturally always
a small amount of wax in the ears.
People generally think that they should
remove that from time to time, and for
the purpose a variety of ear spoons
have been constructed. 1t is true that
there are occasional cases where the
wax accumulates to such an extent it
threatens to fill up the passage. But
that condition of things is scarcely
ever noted in healthy ear. Nature
has made such provisions that the wax
is properly disposed of if it is not med
died with. The glands which secrete
it are on the upper wall OF the passage.
which has just sufficient "pitch" to let
it roll out. If one knows the fact he
need not try to aid nature in
removing the wax, for in so doing
he will most probably defeat her plans
by pushing it far within, where the
floor of the canal slopes in the oppo-
site direction. That done, the wax is
liable to remain there until picked out,
or in some other way removed. 1t is
generally the rule that where one is
careful to keep the ear free of wax, its
secretion is very greatly increased in
consequence of the irritation set up.
All interference with the outer pas
sage of the ear is fraught with danger,
and even in using the towel after bath
ing the face the parts about the ear
shM,ld be touched with great gentle
ness. Many people incautiously make
themselves deaf by using a towel or
handkerchief, rolled in the shape of a
wedge, to wipe out the ear. An oc-
casional itching of the ear is almost
always overcome by rubbing near the
passage just in front of the ear. Where
the itching is quite constant, diseased
condition of the lining of the passage
will be found, and to effect care the