The present state of aural surgery, or, Methods of treating deafness, diseases of the ears, and the deaf and dumb : addressed to the Honourable the members of the Committee of Inquiry into the State of the Medical Profession / by W. Wright.

  • Wright, William, 1773-1860.
Date:
1834
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The present state of aural surgery, or, Methods of treating deafness, diseases of the ears, and the deaf and dumb : addressed to the Honourable the members of the Committee of Inquiry into the State of the Medical Profession / by W. Wright. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    action of this part occasions, more or less, a diminution of the power of distinguishing the modulations of the human voice, and in some extreme cases, all sounds are inaudible. These passages frequently, from exposure to excessive cold, damp, or sudden changes of temperature, become obstructed, but such obstruction does not always depend upon any disease in them- selves ; for frequently the mucous membrane lining the mastoid cells becomes inflamed through these causes; the cavities of these cells are then filled with morbid lymph, and slight deafness is produced from this cause. In more extreme cases, and some constitutions, suppu- rative action proceeds in these cavernulse, and this superabundance descends, in an acrimo- nious state, into the cavity beneath the drum, where it excites inflammation; thickening of the integuments follows, and the tumefaction, extending to the Eustachian tube, diminishes its capability for carrying off the accumulation. The quantity daily increasing, naturally be- comes more dense in quality, and not only prevents the vibration of the drum, but also, by the consequent pressure against the sensi-