Destruction of the Memhrana Tympani. 44,1 
tunities were soon afforded me of trying the effects of this ope- 
ration, and of putting my idea to the test of experiment. Of the 
instances by which it has been verified, the following appear to 
me most worthy of selection and record. 
Case 1. A woman about thirty-six years of age consulted me, 
in December last, respecting some disorder in her child. In 
attempting to converse with her, I found her so extremely deaf 
that it was with difficulty I could make her hear me. Question- 
ing her upon the subject of her deafness, she informed me that 
she had been thus afflicted since the year 1793 *, and I found that 
it had arisen from the tonsil glands becoming enlarged by a cold, 
which she caught in the winter of that year. As she was anxious 
to be relieved, I immediately punctured the membrane of the left 
ear, being that in which the hearing was most defective. The 
operation was no sooner performed, than, to my great joy, and 
of course to hers, I found that, in that ear, she could hear what I 
said to her, without any particular exertion on my part to speak 
loud. She staid with me about half an hour ; and, when she left 
me, was capable of hearing every thing that was said in the 
ordinary tone of conversation. 
Case 2. Ann Daley was admitted under my care, in Guy’s 
Hospital, on the 21st of January, 1801. She was so deaf that, 
unless words were spoken close to her ear, it was impossible to 
make her hear them. She had been thus far deprived of hearing 
for the space of six weeks ; and the deafness had been occa- 
sioned by some ulcers which had existed in the fauces. On the 
25th of January, four days after her admission into the hospital, 
I punctured the membrana tympani of the left ear ; having pre- 
viously taken care (the better to ascertain the effects of the ope- 
ration) to hold a watch to the ear of the patient, the beating of 
MDCCCI. 3 L 
