Deafness practically illustrated / [James Yearsley].

  • James Yearsley
Date:
[1849]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Deafness practically illustrated / [James Yearsley]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    113/200 page 101
    young lady, the daughter of a surgeon at Woolwich, I found a calculus closely resembling in arrangement a piece of rock coral. On looking into the throat of a person suffering from such morbid growths, they are seen as tumours on each side of the fauces, protruding from between the palatine arches, and, if drawn towards the mesian line by a tentaculum, are of much greater size than the first view from the mouth would indicate. The symp- toms are, deafness, thickness of speech, or difficult deglutition, according to the position of the morbid growth. The enlargement which is most apt to produce deafness frequently does not project sufficiently from between the pillars of the fauces to be perceived on looking into the throat; it is hidden conjointly by the anterior pillar and soft palate. Thus it is, as I have verified in many instances, that the surgeon has been deceived, for the condition of the parts is rarely ex- amined with the finger, which should invariably be done. Were he to do so, he would not infrequently detect the enlarged tonsil stealing upwards, and en- croaching on the mouth of the Eustachian passage. The enlargement which is productive of thickened speech, on the contrary, strikes the eye immediately the mouth is opened, and extends downwards in a con- trary direction to that which is calculated to produce deafness. If the upper margin of the morbid growth be defined to the eye, thick speech only is the effect; but if the growth ascend, so as to interfere with the movements of the uvula and soft palate, then we have associated with the thickened speech, nasal speech. The enlarged tonsil which interferes with swallow-
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