Care of the Ear

As the general readers seldom study the hygienic rules regarding the care of the ear; they remain ignorant of these rules. Cheap popular books on the subject are rare. Therefore, there exists the necessity for the publication of a small, cheap pamphlet containing such rules. Hence, no further apology is needed for the appearance of this little brochure.

Man's means of communication through the senses is either through sight or sound. If man were unable to hear he would be severely handicapped in his endeavours to communicate with others and would be reduced to the use of hand signs. He would be unable to know if anyone or anything was moving up behind him or if anyone was calling out from a distance. In busy cities the traffic would create numerous problems for those afflicted with this particular deficiency. In the modern age of course technology has been able to produce hearing aids that are almost invisible, but these too can only help the partially impaired or those who have a certain capacity to acknowledge and recognize the sounds around them and identify them for what they are.

With all our advances in the medical and scientific field it is still not possible to replace the powers of hearing or sight if they have been seriously damaged. Very often what may appear to be a not so serious illness may have a devastating effect on these very sensitive parts of the body. Also our environment and our life style often do not help at all in these matters. Some of us may even find that the work that we do is not wholly conducive to their well-being.

We therefore often find ourselves very much between the devil and the deep blue sea in the choices we are forced to make regarding our jobs or accommodation. Either they are too noisy, polluted or basically unhealthy places to live or work in or they are too expensive to manage or afford. Obviously the first suggestion would be to not work or live there, but sometimes 'beggars can't be choosers' as they say, so we have to try to protect these precious organs and give them every chance of avoiding unnecessary and harmful damage.

This book gives us much of the information required by the layman for the upkeep and maintenance of the ears. It tells us how bad habits like using sharp implements to clean them are harmful and how to actually do the job with the least amount of trouble. It also gives a great deal of information on how to treat certain ailments without using corrosive or damaging medicines. These are things we can do at home, which may actually save a visit to the doctor or stop a gradual progression to a much more serious condition, which may eventually prove incurable and cause the permanent loss of hearing.

This book tells us of the reasons behind deafness and how to combat it. It provides the reader with simple but very practical remedies that can be applied without creating further damage to the affected parts. It is a book that all should read and we should try to apply the methods described herein to protect and keep in good condition the faculty we are lucky enough to possess. There are many amongst us who are not so lucky and we should thank our good fortune that we do not have to suffer as they do throughout our lives. But this does not mean we are free to abuse this good for-tune by misusing or not caring for our ears as best we can.

This book also provides a lot of useful information for those who may have close contact with deaf and dumb people at work or even in their families. To really be able to understand these people and their problems is probably of more comfort to them than simple commiseration and placating comments. It is the under-standing that we can supply rather than the sympathy, which most probably gives them the most pleasure. It is also useful to know how to educate and make life simpler for those born deaf especially if we can help them early enough for as we are told children if taught early may develop the capacity to speak and eventually be able to communicate with words.

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