Omaha daily bee., 1921-07-02
WHEN BECOMING DEAF.

That a great many people have
their efficiency lowered no one will
deny.
or the mass of letters which pour
In over this desk few subjects stimu-
late so many of them as does partial
deafness. The story they tell Is much
the same. A person somewhere
about middle life, accepting himself
as just as good as he ever was, no.
tees that he is gradually becoming
deaf. Even more irritating are In
cessant head noises. He has tried
doctor or two and taken several
kinds Of medicine. Finally he con-
suited nose and throat specialist.
He Is beginning to think he is get
ting into the stage of decreasing
efficiency. There are hundreds OF
thousands on that list
The physicians agree that the de-
mand for relief is great. When it
comes to explaining this form Of ear
trouble they are not agreed. Some
say it is an inherited condition and
develops after the years of puberty
because of certain changes in the
bones of the ear region of the skull.
Others say 1t is because Of infections
of the nose and throat which, having
continued for long time, finally ex-
tend to the ears. Others say that 1t is
the result Of systemic infections in
which the injecting agent locates in
the bones of the ear, just as in
rheumatoid arthritis 1t locates In the
bones of the finger joints. There are
still other theories.
I expect all of them are true. Ger
tain cases are inherited-run in
families. Certain other cases are
due to infection which has extended
to the ear from the nose and throat,
Probably certain other cases are cut
on the rheumatoid-a -arthritis pattern.
Careful examination will show in
which Of these classes some cases
belong. Some cases are found to be
due to an association of two or more
varieties.
To the readers of this column this
matter has no special interest. What
ever the cause may have been, even
though it be neglect on his part, is
now a secondary concern. He is in
trouble and what he wants to know
is how to get out and how to keep
out Some cases are helped by treat
ment of the nose and throat.
Drs. Pollock and Beck say that
some cases are helped by the con-
tinued use of adrenalin. That drug
seems to fix the minerals of the bone
so that the tendency is to become
spongy or changed. In his very able
discussion before the Medical Asso-
citation of the Southwest DR.. E. e.
Earnest referred to these changes in
the bone itself in certain kinds of
deafness developing in middle life.
He said that some cases are benefit
ed by iodides, especially where there
is history of syphilis. Certain cases
are helped by vibration of the ear
drum.
After making allowance for all
these groups we are compelled to
admit that the outlook for this large
group is not good if we have in mind
restoration to youthful conditions.
Most of them. when they have
had their noses sawed and ripped,
have finished the round of special
lists, and taken the various remedies
will be just where they started or
not far away. Certainly no one
who knows anything about the
changes which take place in the
bones will have any faith in the wild
promises of the quacks.
What can a person with progress
sive deafness and head noises do?
SO far as the noises are concerned,
he can train himself to disregard
them. Every man is self-trained
consciously not to see anything ex-
cept what is directly in the field Of
vision. Why get hysterical over head
noises? AS to the progressive deaf
ness-as our vision changes with age
do we try to find the cause and re-
move it? No, we change our glasses.
1 am afraid that there is not much
more for a man with deafness to do
except to learn lip reading and to
use some of the devices to aid hear
ing,