104 ON THE. MEMBRANA TYMPANI OF THE EAR. 



manent, if a frequent recurrence of fuch attacks produce 

 permanent enlargement of the tonfils. The fcarlet fever 

 occafions ulcers in the throat, which, in healing, frequently 

 clofe the Euftachian tubes. A venereal ulcer may have the 

 fame effect. The tube has been clofed by an extravafation of 

 blood in the tympanum. And in one inftance a ftri&ure in 

 the tube rendered the pafTage extremely difficult. In this 

 cafe, by forcing air from the mouth into the cavity of the 

 tympanum, and then prefling gently on the ear to expel part 

 of the air from the cavity, an immediate incrcafe of the power 

 of hearing was produced. Thefe are the moll common caufes 

 of obftru&ion in the Euftachian tube ; and Mr. Cooper has 

 reafon to think, from the experience he has already had, that 

 they may all be remedied by puncturing the membrana tympani. 

 In fupport of this opinion he gives four feleft cafes, one of 

 which is the following : 

 Cafe of deafnefs Mr. Round, of Colchefler, confulted Dr. Baillie refpecting 

 cured by punc- fa f on ^ jy[ r# j h n Round, aged feventeen, who had laboured, 

 traneof the fr° m hi s birth, under fuch a degree of deafnefs, as would 

 tympanum. have incapacitated him from engaging in bulinefs. Dr. Baillie, 

 having fatisiied himfelf that there was no nervous defect in 

 the ear, referred him to Mr. Cooper. He found that this 

 gentleman had been born with an imperfect ftate of the fauces, 

 which rendered him incapable of blowing his nofe; that the 

 Euftachian tubes had no openings into the throat, and, there- 

 fore, that he was unable to force air from the mouth into the 

 ear. The auditory nerves, however, were perfect ; for he 

 could diftin6tly hear the beating of a watch, if placed between 

 the teeth, or againft the tide of the head ; and he had never 

 perceived any buzzing noife in his ears. Our author there T 

 fore advifed him to fubmit to the operation of perforating the 

 membrana tympani ; to which he cheerfully confented. The 

 moment this was done, a new world was opened to him ; anc| 

 the confufion produced by the number of founds, which im- 

 mediately ftruck his ear, made him fink upon a chair, almofl 

 in a fainting ftate. From this ftate he recovered in about two 

 minutes ; and, finding that hjs hearing was completely re-» 

 itored upon the one fide, he wifhed the operation to be per- 

 formed upon the other ; which was immediately done, with 

 {he fame happy refult, and without his experiencing the fame 

 confufed fenfation as before. J Near two months after the 



operation^ 



