4 Trans. Acad. Si i. of St. Louis 



arm (malleus) attacliL'd to the drum membrane. Tlu' last 

 of this ehain of bones, the sIkuI arni of (he lever system, 

 the stapes, is not pointed like a phi)no.t;rapii lu'cdlr but is 

 ])road and is ai)i)licd to the liciuid of the inner ear. The 

 rnpiid niafcrial Iiowcnci- obviously cannot rcsjjond after 

 tile nuinner of the wax and tlici'cforc i( shivers as a mass. 

 Tiiis mass shiver is not sound any more than is the lat- 

 eral Lrroove in the phoiidni-aph I'eeord, sound. 



If we concede that the end or^^an embedded in the li(piid 

 is far more sensitive than any phonoi^raphie reeordinii: 

 method, thi'U the exi)lanation why we do not hem- sound 

 is beautifully lucid. The answer to our (pu'stion is cor- 

 resi)ondinii:ly simple and let us reju-at — accordin,!^ to 

 all modein theories of hearinu; and their name is lei^^ion — 

 " We do not hear sound". We lieai- a nuiss shiver in the 

 liquid of the innei- ear. It is also the writer's contention 

 that this accepted description is not a true statement. 

 The theory thus far i)resented, 7uay be called the indirect 

 activation theory. Briefly, w hat are the objections to it .' 



It is not a (piestion whether the ear is built after the 

 pattern of a i)lionoi;-raph. Some lu^atini,^ dexiees have 

 been invented which also resemble the i)hono,nraph pat- 

 tern of construction closely. The (pU'stion is does the 

 ear really record sound like a plionom-aiili .' Without 

 Koin.i,^ into unnecessary details it can he derinilcly shown 

 that the drum membrane of the eai- does not ^o iii-and out 

 in response to sound \iltiat ions of ininiinuin oi- e\-en o|>ti- 

 mum intensity. It can be detinitely stat<(i tli.it a liini^e op- 

 eration of the ossicles is impossible under the nuM-hanic 

 conditions imjiosed. It e;in be shown that the anu)uut of 

 enert^y ajtplietl to the diuni nieinbr;iiie nndei- usual op- 

 timum conditions is insullicient tit ino\e the mass, dis- 

 rei^ardiiii; all friction and attaciinu'uls. It has heen 

 demonstrated that niea>uiable variations of the drnni 

 membrane position ha\"e no elTeet on the KKpiid contents 

 of the iniiei- e;ir in the li\in<i: animal. It is known as a 



