272 Life and Health 



induce the offending insect to crawl out towards the 

 light. A few drops of warm water, sweet oil, or molas- 

 ses dropped into the ear will help remove the intruder. 



427. Additional Suggestions on the Health of the Ears. 

 No effort should be made to remove the earwax unless it 

 unduly accumulates. The skin of the canal grows outward, 

 and the extra wax and dust' will be naturally carried out 

 if let alone. Never employ any of the many articles or 

 "drops" advertised to cure deafness. Neuralgic pain in 

 the auditory canal, usually classed as earache, may be due 

 to decayed or improperly filled teeth. 



The practice of snuffing up cold water into the nostrils 

 is occasionally followed by an acute inflammation of the 

 middle ear, especially if some of the water finds its way 

 through the Eustachian tube into this part of the organ of 

 hearing. The nasal douche, so often advised as a home 

 remedy for nasal catarrh, should be used only in accordance 

 with directions from a physician. 



Quinine, so generally used in its many preparations for 

 malaria, causes a peculiar ringing or buzzing in the ears. 

 This is a warning that it should be taken in smaller doses, 

 or perhaps stopped for a time. In some cases quinine may 

 produce temporary deafness. 



428. Effect of Alcohol and Tobacco upon the Hearing. 

 Alcoholic beverages tend to inflame the mucous membrane 

 of the throat, then the lining of the Eustachian tube, and 

 finally may injure the delicate apparatus of the internal ear. 



The sense of hearing may be injured by the immoderate 

 use of tobacco. The irritating smoke, filling all the inner 

 cavity of the mouth and throat, readily finds its way up the 

 Eustachian tube and irritates the delicate middle ear. Thus 

 alcohol and tobacco may produce a partial loss of hearing, 

 accompanied with ringing in the ears. 



