chap, v.] THE EAR. 75 



It is not uncommon to have a troublesome dry 

 cough associated with some mischief in the roeatus. 

 Sometimes the mere introduction of a speculum will 

 make the patient cough. A case is reported, where 

 a troublesome cough persisted for eighteen months, 

 and at once ceased on the removal of a plug of wax 

 from the par. In such cases, the irritation is probably 

 conveyed to the trunk of the vagus by Arnold's 

 nerve, and is then referred to the respiratory tracts 

 which are so extensively supplied by that trunk. By 

 means of this little branch the ear is brought into 

 very direct connection with the great nerve of the 

 lung. Dr. Woakes has carefully investigated the 

 matter of ear-sneezing, d propos of a case where 

 troublesome sneezing was set up by a plug of wax in 

 the meatus. He considers that the irritation in this 

 case also is conveyed to the respiratory organs by 

 Arnold's nerve. The relation of this small nerve to 

 the nerve of the stomach is illustrated by a case 

 cited by Arnold, where severe chronic vomiting was 

 at once cui-ed by extracting from each ear of a child 

 a bean that had been introduced in play. 



In the repeated yawning that is sometimes set up 

 by ear ailments, the irritation is no doubt conveyed 

 from the meatus by the auriculo-temporal nerve. 

 This nerve is a branch of the third division of the 

 fifth, and it is from this same division that the 

 branches come off that supply the muscles of the jaw. 



The inferior dental nerve, that goes to the lower 

 teeth, is a branch of the same division, as is also the 

 gustatory nerve ; and the somewhat direct connection 

 of these nerves with the ear may explain the frequent 

 association of ear-ache and tooth-ache, and V.he fact 

 that disease in the anterior part of the tongue 

 (gustatory nerve) is often attended by pain in the ear. 



It is a common practice to introduce ear-rings, 

 with the idea of relieving obstinate affections of the 



