DEVELOPMENT OF THE TELEPHONE 



Technology, Mr. Maurey, had invented an improve- 

 ment upon the phonautograph. He had succeeded in 

 vibrating by the voice a stylus of wood about a foot in 

 length which was attached to the membrane of the 

 phonautograph, and in this way he had been enabled 

 to obtain large tracings upon a plane surface of smoked 

 glass. With this apparatus I succeeded in producing 

 very beautiful tracings of the vibrations of the air for 

 vowel sounds. I was much struck with this improved 

 form of apparatus, and it occurred to me that there was 

 a remarkable likeness between the manner in which 

 the piece of wood was vibrated by the membrane of the 

 phonautograph and the manner in which the ossiculce 

 of the human ear were moved by the tympanic mem- 

 brane. I determined, therefore, to construct a phon- 

 autograph modeled still more closely upon the mechan- 

 ism of the human ear, and for this purpose I sought the 

 assistance of a distinguished aurist in Boston, Dr. 

 Clarence J. Blake. He suggested the use of the human 

 ear itself as a phonautograph, instead of making an 

 artificial imitation of it. The idea was novel and struck 

 me accordingly, and I requested my friend to prepare a 

 specimen for me, which he did. The stapes was re- 

 moved and a stylus of hay about an inch in length 

 was attached to the end of the incus. Upon moistening 

 the membrana tympani and the ossicula with a mixture 

 of glycerin and water, the necessary mobility of the parts 

 was obtained ; and upon singing into the external arti- 

 ficial ear the stylus of hay was thrown into vibration, 

 and tracings were obtained upon a plane surface of 

 smoked glass passed rapidly underneath. 



[79] 



