The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1891-11-20
DEAF MUTES CAN HEAR.
AN INVENTION WITH REMARK
ABLE RESULTS.
A Frenchman's Visit to an Institution
Where the Instrument is in USE
Children Hear Voices for
the First Time.

In every. age prolonged struggles
have been made against deafness;
there have been special physicians
special instruments and special remed-
les for the ear. The acoustic cornet
of DR.. Larry intended to be concealed
in the hair; the acoustic bell of DIR.
Itard, acoustic tubes, dilating tubes,
artificial ears of metal, silk and gutta
percha, audiphones conches. artificial
tympanums, even acoustic fans for the
use of ladies. have had at divers times,
a reputation more or less deserved.
The announcement was made re-
Gently that new acoustic cornet had
been found, which not only enabled
the deaf to hear. but which diminished
and even conquered deafness. In Or
der to see that wonder. of which I had
some doubt Immediately went to
Bourg- la-Reine to the institution of
deaf mutes kept by the Sisters of Cal
vary, says writer in the Revue de
Famille. With a fine architectural
appearance, in the midst of trees and
flowers, that house seems the sweetest
of nests for the poor creatures who are
sheltered there.
In the little room in which I was
received there were already several
persons from different places, and even
from abroad, waiting to see the ex-
periments as directed by the inventor,
Manager Verrier. Wearied by the
suffering and the isolation into which
deaf-mute children were often plunged
by their infrmity, DESTROYS above all
to prepare some OF them for their first
communion, the venerable prelate
sought the shortest way to reach their
hearts. He addressed himself to their
ears and after many attempts and
| much stumbling he succeeded in pro-
ducing that new cornet on which he
has taken out a patent.
The apparatus is composed of a
large bell OF enameled metal united
by gutta percha tube about fifty
centimeters in length. to a little bone
tube covered with gutta percha, which
extends somewhat beyond it The
tube is covered outside by light stuff
intended to arrest all foreign vibra-
tons. The little tube penetrates into
the auditory passage and touches the
tympanum. Thanks to this, not a
sound. not breath is lost on the
patient, and no matter how little hear
ing remains to him, he preceives
sounds and noises, that is to say,
vowels and consonants and finally he
even hears words.
At least that was the theory which
was explained by the physicians who
assisted at the experiments, and of
which I am able from having seen
them, to state the results. A sister
holding the new cornet placed the
end of it in the ear of each Individual
brought to hear and made him hear
several phrases, without moving her
lips, and speaking in low tone The
sound arrived clearly, without buzzing,
able intensity. q note, in passing
that the extremity of the tube could
be unscrewed, and that each pupil had
his own; a wise hygienic precaution).
Afterward the sister took little
girl of the first year; placed the ap-
paratus in her ear and pronounced at
the other extremity papa, mamma
tata. apap. appa, etc., which the child
easily repeated. She was not able to
read the words on the lips of her
teacher. because they were concealed
by the bell, and, moreover, she looked
timidly toward the ground. The as
sistants asked her several words. I
proposed my name, knowing by ex-
perience that composed of three
syllables, commencing with d. 8. Oh. it
is very difficult to pronounce.
Evidently that child neither knew
my name nor was able to read it on the
lips of her teacher-then she heard!
Further, when she pronounced badly,
the teacher again made use of the cor
net SO that the deaf mute spoke by
ear, and corrected her own pronuncia-
ton. WAS that child absolutely
deaf?" I demanded of Mgr Verrier.
The 100 pupils of this institution are
deaf mutes and before commencing
these experiments the degree of hear
ing was scrupulously noted and duly
stated by competent persons. As to
the rest wait; you will see still more"
A pupil of the third year was called
in her turn. saw for myself that she
read upon the lips perfectly words like
"You speak well; the table is black"
etc. Then the apparatus was applied
to her and the professor repeated sew
.eral little phrases. When she hest
tated the bell placed before her mouth
gave her the proper sounds, and she
corrected herself. This was not all.
The sister repeated the same phrase,
This is a beautiful day." in different
tones, from the lowest to the highest
and the child responded like an echo
with the exact intonations.
Finally a fable was breathed into
her ear by means of the cornet which
she repeated very prettily. taking the
exact infections of her teacher. In
addition to all this, the cornet exer-
cises an unexpected influence on the
hearing of the children; the obliterated
sense seems to awaken in them after
repeated experiments. It was touch
ing sight to see the poor girl isolated.
deaf aud silent in the midst of a crowd,