166 Prof. Barton and Miss Browning on the Resonance 



Bowman, Corti, Deiters, Hasse, Henle, Hensen, Kolliker, 

 Kuile, Reissner, Retzius, Schultze. 



But it is not sufficient to regard the internal ear as a 

 structure merely. It must be recognized that it is a working 

 mechanism. Further, it must not be looked upon as a 

 mechanism capable only of sloiv displacements. For it is of 

 the very essence of this mechanism that it is movable at 

 acoustic frequencies, and highly susceptible to very feeble 

 forces provided they alternate at any such frequency. 



The question may be asked here, Is it easy to imagine these- 

 mechanisms responding to such feeble forces as are usually 

 present except on the principle of forced vibrations ? Further, 

 the presence of a graduation in these mechanisms suggests 

 that they are elastic systems with natural periods of A r ibration 

 which form a series according to their dimensions and other 

 conditions. 



Without at all prejudging the case for or against the 

 resonance hypothesis, it is allowable to consider what are 

 the chief facts of audition, and whether they are explicable on< 

 the resonance theory. If they appear to be so, we may 

 further ask what number and disposition of responders are 

 needed. 



Since the mathematical theory of forced vibrations remains 

 essentially unchanged for a great variety in the forms of the 

 vibrators, we may reduce the problem to its simplest terms 

 by arranging a set of simple pendulums of graduated periods 

 to represent these vibrators. Then their behaviour may be 

 compared with the facts of audition and the agreement or 

 conflict noted. Any conflict, if observed, would seriously 

 discredit the resonance hypothesis. On the other hand, any 

 agreement that may be observed will essentially support the 

 hypothesis in general terms, and might conceivably give some 

 clue as to which parts of the ear could act as responders.. 

 For the facts of audition might be reproducible only by a 

 certain number of responders with given frequencies and 

 dampings, and the properties requisite might be possible to 

 certain anatomical structures only. 



The anatomical method of studying the subject would 

 probably be best of all could it be carried out in its entirety 

 on a living subject. But as this is impossible and the alter- 

 native post mortems are in some respects inconclusive, we 

 seem justified in taking any indirect method of approach 

 that is available. Hence the method of using a set of 

 pendulums, though they are confessedly unlike any structure 

 in the ear, may throw a valuable side-light on the subject by 

 revealing and displaying what number and arrangement of 



