2") 8 THE TREATMENT OF DISEASES. 



movements be performed consecutively and the word ape is produced. The child's 

 attention is then called to the object, a picture of, or better still, a stuffed ape. From 

 that time forward he connects in his mind the idea of an ape with the sound he has 

 learned to make. Again, after making the sound for a, he is shown the letter 

 written down ; he then learns to write it, and is thus able first to recognise the word 

 when spoken by his teacher; secondly, to speak it himself; thirdly, to understand its 

 meaning ; fourthly, to recognise it when written ; and fifthly, to write it himself. It 

 is obvious that this system has very great advantages over that of speaking by the 

 use of the fingers and artificial signs. Children who have acquired the power of 

 talking by the deaf and dumb alphabet are still deprived of all intercourse with their 

 fellow-creatures, except when they happen to meet with some one who is able to 

 converse in the same way as themselves. By the modern system of lip-reading they 

 are enabled to converse with any one and every one. Ninety-nine per cent, of deaf 

 mutes have the organs of speech normal, and, provided they have good sight and 

 touch, they may all be taught to talk, the amount of success depending solely on the 

 greater or less capacity of the master. A school for the instruction of the deaf and 

 dumb has been established in London, and the address can readily be obtained by 

 reference to the advertising columns of any of the medical papers. 



General Hints on Affections of the Ear. A frequent cause of disease of 

 the ear, is neglect to thoroughly dry the parts after washing. At the same 

 time it is a very bad practice to screw the end of a towel into the ear. All 

 that requires washing and drying may be reached with the finger. The internal 

 ear is quite capable of taking care of itself. An instrument consisting of a small 

 piece of sponge attached to a bone handle, known as an aurilave, is often seen 

 for sale in chemists' shops. It is capable of doing a very great deal of injury, 

 and should never be employed. By its use the secretions are packed in the 

 ear, and inflammation is very likely to be set up. Another very bad practice is that 

 of boxing children's ears. A blow on the side of the head has been known in many 

 cases to rupture the tympanic membrane, inflicting on the child an irreparable injury. 

 We have already seen that this accident may also arise from loud and sudden 

 noises, such as the discharge of artillery. The precaution of applying the hands 

 to the ears for the moment will obviate any risk. A doctor is often asked by 

 his patients if it is a good plan to wear wool in the- ears. For a person who is 

 not suffering from any disease of the ear it is certainly an absurd practice ; 

 there is no more reason for stopping up the ears than there is for obstructing the 

 nostrils. For those who suffer from occasional attacks of deafness, or who have 

 at times a discharge from the ear, a little cotton wool may serve as a protection 

 from draughts, as in riding in an open carriage, or in the train, but we should 

 not advise its habitual use. It is to be feared that in the case of children 

 deafness is often mistaken for stupidity. " Yery sad is it to think how often 

 a child is thus punished for his misfortune, and, it may be, irremediable injuries 

 inflicted on the mind or temper of this poor victim of unintentional injustice. It 

 is hardly necessary to insist upon the care which is requisite in examining the state 

 of the hearing power in a child, or to refer to the fact that children will often 

 say, and doubtless think, that they hear a watch when they do not." 



