The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-12-14
THE Telephone EAR
A New Affliction That perturbs
Hello Girls.
las NOT YET REACHED CANTON
Prevalent In Larger Cities of The East
Local Operators and Physicians
Discuss the Disease.

The telephone ear" is a new disease
tury discoverie~. 1t is prevalent among
persons who are compelled to use the
telephone receivers for hours at a time.
II has, therefore, extended no farther
than the operators in the big exchanges
throughout the country and has not
yet struck Canton. 1t Is not a diseace
that will become hereditary. Neither is
II contagious The telephone ear is sell
dom found, except where an operator
has been in the service for several years.
As most telephone operators are young
women, and as they usually are attrac-
tive and winsome little lasses, they very
seldom remain hello" girls long enough
to acquire the telephone ear. BY the
time the raanager of an exchange feels
like congratulating himself because
everything is running smoothly and be-
cause all the operators are adopts at an
swering irate customers, IN a voice that
stills the troubled waters along the line,
he receives notice that another sweet
tempered employe has decided to leave
the home of the copper switch board
for another home and another board.
The new board to which she is called
is sideboard, and instead Of being con-
structed of brass and polished copper
IL is Of oak with polished mirror.
In some of the older exchanges of the
eastern cities not a few operators have
been afflicted with the new disease. II
iS ola i'm n6 that tha
of the receiving instrument on the ear
causes a slight deafness. No case has
been found that has proved to be of a
serious nature, although several cases
have assumed proportions that have
caused the operators a great deal OF in
convenience. The skill of the doctor
Is baffied by the telephone ear, and the
only known relief is the finding of other
employment by those afflicted.
A News Democrat reporter mad a chat
with several Of the operators in the
local exchange, but could find none who
was or had been affected by the new
ailment, although one of the hello"
girls admitted that she had heard OF
several canes. She said she had heard
operators complain about not being able
to hear well on certain days, but could
not say whether the hearing was affect
ed by the work the operators were
doing.
Several Canton physicians were ap-
preached and interrogated on the sub
ject. They said they knew of cases
where people were comparatively deaf
and could with difficulty hear a man
speaking to them, when but a few feet
away, yet could hear very well when
conversing over telephone line.
One of the learned physicians said he
knew of a case in which the voice OF
the operator gave out under the strain
I'm fact" he concluded, II believe the
constant use of the telephone is liable
to improve the hearing
Another physician, who Is an ear spe-
cialist, when asked for an expression
of opinion, just laughed and added.
We'll / think that is the invention of
some telephone customer who has been
compelled to wait his turn on a busy
day when he rang central. 1 under
stand that an operator takes care OF
about one hundred wires when on duts
and during certain hours of the day J
am of the opinion that any man would
be hard of hearing II he attempted tc
run hundred wire board and have
some angry citizen ask him why he did
not wake up or take day off and get
good snooze."