DO WE f[EAT7 SOUND? 



Alkjustus G. Pohlman 



Almost every individual will admit without ariz;um('nt 

 that we hear sound. He may also be inclined to arrive at 

 the off-hand conclusion that the question properly be- 

 loni^s to the large category of scientific near-queries. 

 The theoretically balanced ass between two equally at- 

 tractive bales of hay and the hypothetical thunder storm 

 on the theoretical desert island might be listed as repre- 

 sentatives of this type; near-queries which make for 

 much discussion but relatively little information. The 

 question asked however does not belong to this group. 

 While as has been said almost any individual will admit 

 that we hear sound, no modern scientific theory of sound 

 analysis grants this possibility. If the scientific concep- 

 tion of hearing is correct, then people in general are en- 

 titled to some explanation of the error in the popular 

 notion of the problem. If, however, we are to make our 

 answer an affirmative one, then some explanation must 

 be made of how an error has crept into the theoretical 

 considerations. Practically all of the information con- 

 cerning things which lie outside of self are derived 

 tlirougli the eye and ear. It should therefore be a mat- 

 ter of some little importance to know what it is w^e see 

 and what it is we hear. 



Lest someone may infer that our explanation may lead 

 us farther than it really does, it may be well to bear in 

 mind certain facts about the operation of the nervous 

 system. We do not know^ how a nerve conveys an im- 

 pulse neither do we know^ how the code message trans- 

 mitted to our brain is resolved into terms of conscious- 

 ness. We have not as yet discovered how a stimulus 

 affects a nerve ending. This much, however, is fairly well 



