150 



Punftiirc of the 

 tympanum of 

 one ear. 



Inftant reftqra- 

 tion of hearing 

 with extreme 

 fenfibility. 



DEAFNESS CUREB. 



Some founds 

 more audible 

 than others. 



The other ear 

 punctured with 

 out effe<a. 



Caufe of this 

 failure. 



the tympanum. On the Ulh of July laft, I performed that 

 operation on his right ear, in prcfence of Mr. Jurine, with a 

 very fmall trocar, about one eighth of an inch in diameter. At 

 the inftant that the inftruraent was withdrawn, we fpoke to 

 him in a low voice; but inftead of anfwering, he remained 

 immoveable in his chair, and feemed (lupified. — Then he ex, 

 claimed *' For God's fake gentlemen, don't cry out fo loud; 

 you hurt me!" I then began to walk about the room, — The 

 fqueaking of my boots made him fliudder and jump in his chair ; 

 and he covered his ear with his hand. The fnapping of the 

 fingers quite diftracted him, and feemed to produce upon him 

 an efFe6l fimilar to that of a piftol fuddenly fired in the ear of 

 a perfon not aware of it. When fpoken to, though in a whif- 

 per, he complained that we fpoke too loud. Yet in fpite of 

 this exceffive fenfibility to very inconfiderable noifes, there 

 were other founds, not lefs diftin6t, which he did not hear, 

 even at a very little di fiance; fuch for inftance as the ticking 

 of his watch. So that his hearing feemed to be fometimes too 

 dull, fometimes too acute ; becaufe, no doubt, the organ had 

 loft the faculty of adjufting itfelf to the different modulations 

 of found. A week after this, however, Mr. F. had loft that 

 excefliive fenfibility which rendered acute founds almoft in- 

 tolerable to him, and in fa6t he had already again learnt to hear. 

 He then wiflied to have the other ear perforated in the fame 

 manner. I performed this operation, but without effed.— 

 Twenty days after this fecond operation, Mr. F. called upon 

 toe. I examined his ears in a fine fun fliine, and could fee in 

 ' the right ear the membrane of the tympanum traverfed in its 

 exterior part by a fmall cicatrix, having in its center a fmall 

 hole which was hardly perceptible. Yet the hearing was 

 fcarcely diminiflied fince the firft operation. Fearing that this 

 fmall aperture might clofe itfelf entirely, Mr. F. defired that 

 I would perforate a'gain the membrane of that ear, an opera- 

 tion which was repeated without giving him any pain, but not 

 without a flight increafe of fenfibility in his hearing. I after- 

 wards examined the left ear, and having placed the meatus in 

 the dire6ti()n of the fun's rays. I diftinclly perceived a falfe 

 membrane adhering to the whole circumference of Ihepaflage, 

 and perfedly fimilar, in its form and fifuation, to that of the 

 tympanum, the diftance between the two membranes being 

 fcarcdy one fixth part of an inch. I took ofl^ at once this 

 4 falfe 



