HEALTH NOTES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 632, 8 April 1929, Page 13

HEALTH NOTES

THE EAR PREVENTION OF DEAFNESS (Contributed by the Department of Health.) The ear is the organ of hearing, and it consists essentially of a pair of special nerves connected with the brain and an accessory apparatus serving the double purpose of protecting the delicate nerve endings and of conveying to them the waves of sound in such a way that they are converted into special nerve impulses. The ear may be likened to a wireless aerial receiving oscillations or ethsr waves, to be finally interpreted by special mechanism. These accessory apparatus, with nerve endings, are contained, one on each side of the head, in two bones called the temporal bones. The possession of two intact ears has been proved by experiment to be essential for correct localising of sound. The apparatus is divided by anatomists into three parts: the external ear, consisting of the shell-like auricle attached to the side of the head, and a j passage (external auditory canal) 1 leading therefrom to the middle ear, ; and, lastly, the internal ear, contain- ‘ ing the nerve endings so arranged as to form organs designed for the per- j ception of sound and for the appre- j ciation of position in space. DISEASE OF THE EAR There are five chief symptoms to which ear disease may give rise, namely, deafness, noises in the ear or head, pain, discharge, and giddiness, or vertigo. The first of these may vary from very slight hardness of hearing, scarcely inconvenient, to its complete loss (stone deafness). It may be pointed out that normal hearing differs in a limited degree in different people; that is to say, some people are physiologically less acute of hearing than are others. Deafness may be divided roughly into two kinds: obstructive deafness (external and middle ear deafness), due to disorders of those portions of the ear which conduct the sound to the auditory nerve endings; and nerve deafness (inner ear deafness), due to disease of these nerve endings themselves, or the nerve trunk or of that part of the brain concerned with sound perception and interpretation.i

These two forms of deafness are characterised: the one —obstructive deafness—with loss of hearing for low tones; the other—nerve deafness—with loss of hearing for high tones. Noises in the head or ear are due to irritation of the auditory nerve. Just as nerve irritation gives rise to pain, so in nerves which have to do with the special senses, like the nerve of sight and the nerve of hearing, irritation gives rise to sensations characteristic of their special function. Thus irritation of the optic nerve causes a sensation of flashes of light, of the auditory nerve a sensation of sound. Hence, disease of the ear irritating the auditory nerve endings causes noises in the ears or head which may vary from slight buzzing to loud, continuous, complicated noises, or even to words and sentences. These may be of no consequence, as in the slight transitory ringing (popularly termed “news bells”), or may be a continual 'source of acute distress. Pain as an indication of ear disease may be manifested as “earache,” pain round the ear, and headache. Discharge from the ear is always a symptom of serious import. With the exception of a few cases of discharge arising in the outer passage, it indicates inflammation of the cavity behind the tympanum or ear-drum. When composed of pus it means an abscess of that part, and it is a real danger signal. Giddiness, or vertigo, though often caused by other diseases than those of the ear, may he another important symptom, indicating irri- | tation or disease of the semi-circular canals of the internal ear. I TREATMENT AND PREVENTION The most common troubles of the outer ear are due to inflammation, accumulations of ear-wax, and foreign ! bodies in the outer ear passage, and i should receive prompt medical attention. Attacks of inflammation are predisposed to by picking or scratch ing the passage with pins or other instruments. A boil in the passage is one of the most acutely painful affections of the ear. Boils occur in persons run down in health. Accumulations of dead skin or wax form an excellent breeding ground for the special microbes which cause boils. Accumulation of wax, a common cause of deafness, may block the passage, and give rise to marked deafness, easily removed by syringing the ear with a solution of baking soda (one level teaspoonful to a cup of warm water) and continuing until the ear is free from wax. The syringing of the ears should be carried out under expert supervision, as the plug of wax may be driven further into the passage and the trouble accentuated. DISCHARGING EARS , Discharge from the ears nearly ali ways indicates a serious condition. If

the discharge is allowed to continue untreated chronic disease of the bones of the ear and deafness will result. In neglected cases infection may spread to the brain and cause death. Hence prompt medical advice must be secured and scrupulous care is necessary. The ear may be syringed with a warm boracic lotion or other lotion ordered by the doctor. Care should be taken to have the lotion warm, but not hot. The L~st way is to stand the bottle of lotion in a vessel of hot water, first removing the cork. Finally, dry out the ear carefully. The syringe and basin must be carefully cleansed before and after use. A discharging ear should never be plugged. OTHER CAUSES OF DEAFNESS 4 An infinite variety of foreign bodies have been found in the ear—peas, seeds, pins, fragments of cotton wool, etc. Plugs of cotton wool are very common, havihg been put in for protection. These result in deafness and inflammatory condition of the ears, and medical aid should be invoked, as inexpert attempt at removal may re-; suit in serious damage. There is a close relationship between the throat, nose and ear infections. A healthy nose and throat safeguards the ear. Colds should be avoided and treatment obtained for enlarged tonsils, adenoids, and other unhealthy conditions of the respiratory j passage. That chamber called the : middle ear, which contains the little line of ossicles stretching from mem- 1 braue to drum, communicates with the outer air by means of the Eustachian ! tube, the other end of which opens at j the back of the nose. This explains ; , | why so frequently a catarrh, such as ’ arises in a common cold by extension to the nasal end of the tube, may end | in deafness. _ Diseases such as scarlet fever, diph- ( theria, mumps, smallpox, whooping; cough, tuberculosis and syphilis may often result in deafness and their prevention for this reason alone is of ’ outstanding importance. EDUCATION OF DEAF CHILDREN For children who are born deaf, and therefore have not acquired the power of speech, the Education Department has an excellent institution at S ~nner, Canterbury. There are also: sr cial classes held by this department in the main centres for the education of children suffering from such eeri- ; ous deafness as to make impracticable i their education in elementary schools. [ Before such children are of school age ’ much benefit can be obtained from . home training on right lines. School ‘ medical officers or teachers of special classes would be able to give mothers valuable advice as to the training of , such children. In our cities, particularly, much [ j could be done to stop unnecessary

noises with their inevitable effect on the nervous system, and the organ of hearing. It has been demonstrated that long continued exposure to highpitched sounds cause degenerative changes in the organ of Corti in the internal ear. The detonations of high explosives during the Great War was a definite cause of deafness among soldiers. Finally, the child or adult, who is to any degree deaf, is to that extent robbed qf one of the greatest alleviations of human life. Prevention lies in a well-ordered life, early detection, and treatment of car troubles, and strict observance to the laws of health expressed in the various articles already published under this series.