Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-04-02
HOW THE DEAF CAN HEAR.
By the Wonderful Invention of a
 Young Inventor.

With wonder written on their faces. three children, deaf, dumb and blind, recently heard & pianist play Sousa marches, heard q photograph repeat the sounds, and finally were astounded to hear the sounds of their own voices utter the words, mamma" papa" and hello in quavering child ish treble. ...
 Miller Reese Hutchinson, q young Alabamian, who was recently decora- ted by Queen Alexandra for his efforts in behalf of the deaf. had invited some of his friends to his laboratory to watch some experiments with his newest instruments for making the deaf hear. They came in troops.
 One of the first to arrive, and the last to go was the Duke of Newcastle. Another was Dr. Currier of the New York Institute for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb, who had Prof. Van Tassell escort six boys and four girls, all afflicted with deafness, to the labora tory. W. J. Hammer, a well-known member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers; H. W. Webb, Mrs. J. H. White, Mrs. George Kidd, Miss Kidd, Mrs. F. $. Jennings. Miss Jennings and Dr. Clarence Sharp, of the Presbyterian hospital, were among the others present.
 The young inventor said he thought he had perfected an instrument that meant as much for the ear as eye glasses meant for impaired vision, for it could be adjusted to any degree or peculiarity of deafness, unless due to absolute paralysis of the auditory nerve or to the removal of the tiny bones of the middle ear through an op- eration.
 The invention consists. primarily, of transmitter. an ear piece and small electric battery. It is far less con- spicuous than any other form of hear ing instrument, no part of 1t actually appearing in sight except the ear piece, which may be covered by the hand. The battery may be carried in the waistcoat pocket. The transmit ter is worn under the coat or in the folds of a dress and the ear piece is no larger than watch case. By means of these instruments sound is projected into the ear in a manner to stimulate the auditory nerve. The volume of sound has noth- ing to do with the action of these in- struments. A whisper sounds as plainly as a shout. The penetrating & quality of the electric sound wave ap- parently disregards the mechanism of the outer ear and affects the inner ear direct.
 The first patient brought out to try the effects of.the invention was Orris Benson, who is blind, deaf and dumb. Dr. Sharp tried to make him hear in various ways, with tuning fork be- tween his teeth and pressed against his skull and by shouting in his ear all in vain. The little instrument was | then clapped to the lads ear, the cur rent switched on, and MT. Hutchinson said in an ordinary conversational l tone, Papa" The youth raised his sightless eyes to his friend. Prof. Van Tassell, and worked his fingers rapid 1 ly in the sign language.
 "He says he can hear something, but doesn't know what it is," remark ed Professor Van Tassell. The cur rent was made stronger. The youths eyebrows were raised and he smiled. Then he tried to repeat the syllables and in 6 wierd treble cried shrilly "Pah-pah."
 Noticing that the patient was becom- l ing excited over his novel experience, MT Hutchinson suggested that one of the girls be brought into the reception room. A pretty, rosy checked girl, IS years old. who had lost sight and | hearing through exposure dozen years ago was led into the room. l She could not hear sound, no mat ter how loud, right against her ear, but when she had the ear piece of the instrument fastened to her head and the pianist at the end of the room be- gan &o play Sousa march, her cheeks l flushed crimson and her fingers beat time on a table. The other hand sought the hand of the teacher be- hind her and twinkled: What Is 1t hear something, but Cont know what 1t is. tds beautiful Gan have | itw
 When Prof Van Tassell had trans lated what the girls fingers had said one or two of the women present re- marked that they dld not know wheth. CT the experience was more renarkd- ble than 1t was pathetic
 Another girl. born blind. deaf and dumb. clapped her hands in ecstacy when, she heard her own voice say | toward the piano when the musician stopped playing and the new harmon ies died out of her ear but fingered in her memory.
 To Illustrate how the invention mag nified and transmitted sound, mega. phone attached to photograph and connected with the battery and trans hitter was put out of window a block away from Herald square As the notes Of the Toreador's song from Carmen" noated out on the air. peo- ple block away on Broadway stopped and turned to try and catch the point whence the music emanated. and men in the elevated raildoad trains rushed to the platforms. bewildered at the volume of sound and the inability to trace 1t to it's source.-New York Her ald
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