﻿Lord 
  Rayleigh 
  : 
  Acoustical 
  Sates. 
  243 
  

  

  microphone, 
  were 
  poorly 
  heard, 
  and 
  o£ 
  the 
  sound 
  received 
  the 
  

   greater 
  part 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  overtones. 
  Of 
  coarse 
  low 
  notes 
  are 
  

   not 
  necessary 
  for 
  speech, 
  otherwise 
  women 
  would 
  be 
  at 
  a 
  

   disadvantage, 
  contrary 
  to 
  all 
  tradition. 
  But 
  can 
  we 
  suppose 
  

   that 
  low 
  notes 
  are 
  actually 
  deleterious 
  ? 
  

  

  At 
  this 
  point 
  one 
  recalls 
  the 
  observations 
  of 
  A. 
  M. 
  Mayer 
  * 
  

   upon 
  the 
  obliteration 
  of 
  higher 
  sounds 
  by 
  graver 
  ones. 
  

   These 
  observations 
  have 
  not 
  attracted 
  the 
  attention 
  they 
  

   deserve. 
  The 
  author 
  himself 
  sufficiently 
  emphasises 
  their 
  

   importance 
  but 
  he 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  followed 
  them 
  up, 
  

   as 
  he 
  announced 
  the 
  intention 
  of 
  doing. 
  It 
  was 
  proved 
  that 
  

   while 
  higher 
  and 
  feebler 
  sounds 
  could 
  be 
  entirely 
  obliterated 
  

   by 
  louder 
  and 
  graver 
  ones, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand 
  a 
  feeble 
  graver 
  

   sound 
  remained 
  audible 
  in 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  a 
  more 
  powerful 
  

   acuter 
  one. 
  " 
  Indeed 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  as 
  in 
  all 
  others 
  where 
  one 
  

   sound 
  remains 
  unaffected 
  by 
  intense 
  higher 
  notes, 
  the 
  observer 
  

   feels 
  as 
  though 
  he 
  had 
  a 
  special 
  sense 
  for 
  the 
  perception 
  of 
  a 
  

   graver 
  sound 
  — 
  an 
  organ 
  entirely 
  distinct 
  from 
  that 
  which 
  

   receives 
  the 
  impress 
  of 
  the 
  higher 
  tones. 
  

  

  " 
  That 
  one 
  sonorous 
  sensation 
  cannot 
  interfere 
  with 
  another 
  

   which 
  is 
  lower 
  in 
  pitch 
  is 
  a 
  remarkable 
  physiological 
  

   discovery 
  ....'' 
  

  

  If 
  we 
  suppose, 
  as 
  I 
  think 
  we 
  may, 
  that 
  one 
  type 
  at 
  any 
  

   rate 
  of 
  deafness 
  involves 
  obtuseness 
  to 
  the 
  higher 
  elements 
  of 
  

   sound 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  intelligibility 
  of 
  speech 
  largely 
  

   depends, 
  while 
  the 
  hearing 
  of 
  graver 
  sounds 
  is 
  unimpaired, 
  

   Mayer's 
  principle 
  suggests 
  that 
  advantage 
  may 
  ensue 
  from 
  

   an 
  instrumental 
  suppression 
  of 
  the 
  graver 
  components. 
  A 
  

   scientific 
  friend 
  has 
  informed 
  me 
  that 
  a 
  relative 
  of 
  his 
  was 
  

   insensitive 
  to 
  grave 
  sounds 
  and 
  that 
  when 
  addressed 
  in 
  a 
  

   railway 
  carriage 
  expostulated 
  against 
  being 
  shouted 
  to, 
  as 
  if 
  

   his 
  hearing 
  was 
  less 
  interfered 
  with 
  by 
  the 
  noises 
  of 
  the 
  

   train 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  normal 
  persons. 
  There 
  is 
  said 
  indeed 
  to 
  

   be 
  one 
  type 
  of 
  deafness 
  which 
  finds 
  advantage 
  in 
  such 
  noises, 
  

   but 
  perhaps 
  only 
  because 
  people 
  speak 
  louder. 
  It 
  would 
  be 
  

   interesting 
  to 
  experiment 
  upon 
  such 
  a 
  case 
  in 
  detail. 
  For 
  

   my 
  own 
  part 
  I 
  can 
  hear 
  scarcely 
  anything 
  of 
  what 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  

   me 
  in 
  the 
  train. 
  

  

  Another 
  indication 
  of 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  the 
  higher 
  elements 
  

   in 
  speech 
  is 
  afforded 
  by 
  the 
  advantage 
  experienced 
  by 
  many 
  

   deaf 
  people 
  from 
  placing 
  the 
  hands 
  behind 
  the 
  ears, 
  palms 
  

   forward 
  and 
  curved. 
  The 
  tick 
  of 
  a 
  clock, 
  for 
  example, 
  is 
  

   much 
  enhanced. 
  Perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  striking 
  effect 
  is 
  upon 
  the 
  

   sound 
  of 
  the 
  wind 
  whistling 
  through 
  trees. 
  Artificial 
  

   reflectors 
  may 
  of 
  course 
  replace 
  the 
  hands, 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  best 
  

   results 
  they 
  need 
  to 
  be 
  rather 
  nicely 
  shaped. 
  

   * 
  Phil. 
  Mag. 
  ii. 
  p. 
  500 
  (1876). 
  

  

  