Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-03-28
DEAF MADE TO HEAR.
Remarkable Powers of a New
Electrical Invention.
DEVICE THAT MAGEIFIEs SOUND,


Battery, All Occupying Little
space-Amicted Children In Ec-
atasy over Revelation of sound to
Them.
A new electrical device by which the
deaf are made to hear and the dumb
to speak, called the "acousticon," was
first made known to the public the 9th
er day IN New York after n ~demonstra-
ton In the laboratory Of its inventor,
Miller Reese Hutchinson, says the New
York World,
The most hopeless persons in the
New York Institution For the Deaf
and Dumb, some who had eve heard
a sound in all their lives, put the little
instrument to their ears and listened
to Sousa's marches, and one of them, a
boy born deaf, danced to a twostep,
the first music he had ever heard.
Lips that had spoken coherent
words were made to speak so that ey-
cry syllable could be understood. A
girl who lost her hearing ten years
ago laughed and clapped her hands
with joy when she listened to sounds
almost forgotten,
Women who had been invited to the
laboratory to watch the experiment
wept at the pathetic display of joy on
the faces of the unfortunates. When it
was over, Professor Van Tassel of the
deaf and dumb institution praised the
invention.
every deaf person car be made to
hear, and mutes can be taught to
speak with the aid of the instrument"
said the professor. Heretofore the
great difficulty in teaching mutes to
speak has been that they could not
hear their own voices and did not
know how to form words. With the
ACQUISITION they can hear and so an
learn to speak.
"We are going to try the instrument
in the institution. 1t will be like learn
ing a new language to those who have
never spoken. They will have to arm
the meaning of each sound. | think
that so per cent of the deaf mutes
should be able to hear with the instru-
ment so that they could understand.
/ 1t is a small device and can be carried
around easily"
1t was proved at Mr.. Hutchison's
demonstration that persons who never
had spoken could speak. Orris Benson,
a boy deaf, dumb and blind, who could
not heal one sound with all the devices
in use. heard words spoken in a low
tone when he had the acousticon to his
ear. Mr.. Hutchinson pronounced the
word papa" in an ordinarily low tone.
The boy became instantly excited, and,
turning to where he knew Professor
Van Tassel, was standing, he said in
rapid sign language that he had heard
something. but did not know what 1t
was. The word was repeated by Mr..
Hutchinson. The boy, growing more
and more excited, tried to repeat the
word. and his unframed voice shrilled
out the two syllables ''pah-pah."
Another pupil from the institution a
girl who was born blind, deaf and
dumb, shrieked and laughed with de-
light when she heard her wv voice.
She repeated the words mamma" n
| DUDu dllCt vi IldiNhASphs
The ACQUISITION consists of a trans.
mitter, an ear piece and a small electric
battery, all connected with wires. Ev-
cry part of the instrument is carried
In the pockets, out of sight, with the
exception of the ear piece, which is
small and easily hidden in the palm Of
the hand. The transmitter is a rubber
! If,l-Wn Io,,t +h.On innhnu In dfo Tnafnr in
the followed reverse side of which are
imprisoned certain gases. Theoretically
sealed. The composition of these gases
is a secret of the inventor.
The instrument magnifies sound. a
whisper spoken across a room is caught
up and transformed into a shout by the
time it reaches the ear piece. This high
ly intensified sound so stimulates the
auditory nerve that hearing results, no
matter how deaf a person may be. The
volume of sound does not make any
difference. Ii is the penetrating quail
ity of the electric sound wave that
stimulates the nerve to action.
To Illustrate how the invention mag
nihed and transmitted sound a mega
phone attached tO8a photograph and
connected with the battery and trans
mitter was put out Of a window a
block away from Herald square, in
New York. As the notes of the torea-
doris song from Carmen" foated out
on the air people a block away on
Broadway stopped and turned to try
and catch the point whence the music
emanated, and men in the elevate.
railroad trains rushed to the platforms.
b|ewildered at the volume of sound and
the inability to trace it to its source.
A King Hears He's "OnIy Grandpa"