HEALTH COLUMN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2056, 20 July 1893, Page 48

HEALTH COLUMN.

Symptoms of Deafness. The normal ear is capable of hearing considerably better than is necessary for the ordinary purposes of civilisation; in fact 1 , ia endowed with what may be termed "superfluous hearing." Proper tests will discover the loss of even -a small portion of this superfluous hearing, and warn us that we are gradually becoming deaf— in fact, already partially deaf— although we may not have noticed the slightest deficiency.- This explains why it is that many victims of certain forms of chronic deafness believe their complaint to have been sudden in its beginning, when in reality it has been progressing for several years ; the longer time having been occupied by the gradual loss of the "superfluous hearing,'! and the patient's attention not having been directed to his affliction until tbe " necessary hearing " was encroached upon. The great majority of all forms of deafness are dependent upon and.directly resultant from affections of the nose and throat. The earliest symptom of beginning deafness m many cases is a ringing sound in the ears.' Many patients describe it as a noise all through the head rather than in the ear itself. It is at first intermittent and occasional. The ringing may be present, for some time, scarcely perceptible, when ; -suddenly the sound will change, becoming, much louder, and the note jumping high up', in the scale, where it will continue to ring quite loudly for some minutes, and gradually die away, to appear again some time afterwards. It may reappear in a few hours, as the trouble! with the ears progresses. Ringing in the ears may also be the prelude to an, acute attack of earache ; but it is here fol-j lowed very soon by pain, which bo pre-; dominates over the ringing that it is no longer he«»rd. If the bearing is properly' tested just as soon as the ringing in the! ears has become more or less constant, some: degree of deafness will be detected. As the; case progresses, even before all the so-, called superfluous hearing has been de-, stroyed, the patient will realise that he is' becoming deaf. For this condition there is) nothing to be done by the patient himself. Advice from a physician should be obtained; just as soon as diminution of hearing is suspected. Much can be accomplished, however, by the patient toward preventing' the deafness becoming worse. Careful' attention should be devoted to the general health, to keep the nose and throat in as healthy condition as possible— to prevent " taking cold," especially eclds in the head. Exposure to changes of weather should be avoided; the feet never being allowed to besome wet, or, if they do become wet, the shoes and stockings should \vt changed for dry ones as soon as possible, Turkish baths and plenty of outdoor exercise are strongly to be recommended, to Btimulaft B thp circulation and inure the system tc e*»a<"'" a of weather. —Popular Science Monthly (, J.S.A.)