Papers on deaf-mutism / by James Kerr Love.

  • Love, James Kerr, 1858-1942
Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Papers on deaf-mutism / by James Kerr Love. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    48/124 page 6
    Deafness, then, is purely relative. It is present in almost every degree in speaking people, and in all the higher degrees among the dumb. Now as to the children at Langside: none of them heard the watch at all. Only a few heard the instrument, which I now hold in my hand, a Politzer acoumeter, which gives a much louder tick than any watch. The tests applied were this large bell, this tuning fork, and the human voice. The tongue of the bell is attached at the junction of the handle and the metal by a spring, and when a decided shake is given to the bell a single loud note is emitted, which, with a little practice, can be reproduced with great uniformity. The fork was used sounding in the air, and applied to the bones of the skull. In this paper I refer only to its use as aa aerial test. The accuracy of the observations was assured by the eyes of the observer being covered, by his counting the strokes, and by the delivery of false or noiseless strokes of the bell. The bell used in the testing could be heard in the vicinity of the Institution at a distance of about 1,000 yards by an ordinary ear. The fork used was a large one, of about 9 inches long, and gave a note caused by 330 vibrations per second. The voice sounds were uttered with the observer's eyes covered, or they were spoken behind his back. Total or stone deafness means absence of hearing for the sounds of the bell or voice, and for the fork sounding in the air :— Total number tested. Disqualified from youth, &c., Heard perfectly, but mute, Remaining, I. II. III. Class III. was made up thus :— 175 49 3 123, classified thus :— Stone deaf,... ... ... ... 9 Heard bell or loud voice, ... ... 81 Heard and distinguished voice, ... 33 123 20 heard and distinguished vowels. 13 ,, consonants, and words. 33
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