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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 1914)
he Omaha Sunday Bee Magazine Page d Curing Deafness by Anatomical Drawing of the Face Musculature Showing How All tho Muscles, Including Those of the Ear, Aro Controlled by tho Same Nerve tho Facial; Tho Arrangement of tho Muscles Makes It Plain, Too, How a Pull Upon Any of Them Results in a Movement of the Ear Mus cles Also. By Professor Fernet In JJh Addrett Before tho Par( Academy of Medicine. I HAVE been engaged for two years la perfecting a method of using tho external voluntary muscles of tho car and scalp to combat ad vancing deafness. Tho nctlvo and systematic use of these, musclea has tho effect of mas saging tho ear drums, , bones and nerves, maintaining their blood sup (ply and nutrition and of protecting them against atrophy. Tho exercises arq principally useful In keeping tho external and middle car in good con dition. I would not dwell too much ii.M- ,.i i , ti im, l"Wl IIUUB " 1-"VI- auditory nerve, but their effect can only bo good. "Making fades," or tho active use of the facial muscles, has In many ways n high value in preserving tho acuteness of our senses nnd conse quently life. To this fact wo must nttrlbuto in some- degree tho long life so commonly enjoyed by minis ters of religion. They uso tho facial muscles constantly and regularly In preaching. The same conclusion may be drawn from actors, although the fact of their longevity is not so generally recognised. Thoso actOre who do voto themselves to tho serious bWo of "their calling with success nppear to live longer than other men and to retain tho acuteness of their senses nnd faculties to a much Greater ago than other old men. It is hardly necessary to explain that actors uso and train their facial muscles to a greater degreo than any other class. Moreover, they derive nn additional beneflt from the fact that ncuto hearing is necessary to their work and they never allow It to become dull from insufficient uso. I describe my method of training the ear as "oral gymnastics." It ia Applicable in all cases whero deaf ness is due not to an Irremedlablo loalon qt tho acoustic nervo or the auditory centres, hut to a chango In Miss Esther Peterson, the Oshkosh riaKinq i aces How the Nerves and Blood Supply of the Ears May Be Stimulated and Massaged by Exercising the Same Muscles That Make Queer Grimaces tho apparatus for transmitting tho sound waves. This Is tlic common est of nil forms of deafness. Tho muscles and bones of tho mid dle car stirrup bone, Incus bone and hammer bono have a function of "prlmo lmportanco to our hearing. They nro tho accommodating ngents for that npparatus of perfection, tho drum. They nro as useful to the sense of hearing as the accommodat ing muscles of the eyo to that of sight. The muscles of the external oaf and thoso of tho Eustachian tubo have only a secondary role, but nevertheless thoy glvo help which Is not to bo neglectcdj Oral gymnastics should exorcise all these muscles In order to Increase their power. Those of the drum ap pear to bo removed' from tho action of our will, at least in the majority of ncrsonS. Dut the education of these lntter muscles Is much easier than mo3t of us would think, and If they do not obey our will more rend- ., ,,. .All- , not exercised them. Take, for instance, the muscles of the scalp and tho external ear. I be Ilevo that it is qulto exceptional to find n man who can contract them voluntarily, yet actually we can And n considerable number of persons who can do bo, indicating that tho function was originally a normal one. We- also know that children In play often make a practise of exercising their cranial muscles nnd their ex ternal eara nnd seldom havo any difficulty In doing it. Later this faculty is generally Jost through lack of exercise, hut n little patlenco and perseverance will suf llco to. restoro it nnd produco very appreciable contractions. It Is the same with the muscles of tho Eustachian tube. Is It not rea sonable to expect that the exercises which eet in motion tho cranial inus cles, the external ear and the Eusta chian tubo must affect tho associated muscles of tho ear drum? ThU9 my system of oral gymnnstics ends in making tho muscles of tho delicate ear drum contract with tho external muscles. Observo that all theso muscles are supplied by the Bamo nerve, the fa cial nerve, and that this common in nervation explains tho closo relation ship which unites them and associates them In their contractions. In fact, AGrdnd Open Prima-Donna, as "La Tosca." the isolated contraction of ono of thoso muscles without several of tho others is usually difficult or impos sible to obtain. For" this reason I consider it useful in oral gymnastics to exorcise nil tho muscles supplied by tup facial nerve, no matter. how accessory they may be. They all have the ppwor of stimulating activity In the parts de pending on tho snmo innervation. Tho loslona of tho middle ear, which nro tho commonest causes of deafness, nro thickening of the mem branes, exudates, adhesions, obstruc tions and scleroses Thoso aro usual ly duo to eruptions which occur fre quently among heavy eaters and rheumatic subjects or to various atrophies of old age. Theso injuries occur 1n tho outer part of tho middle oar. Thoy nro all subject to the ameliorating effect of oral gym nastics. Though nutrition may be interfered with, It Is not abolished, and tho parts affected share in tho GIUMACK NO. 1 Contraction of the llrow nnd None, 'Which MaTM the Scalp nnd Pull the l'ac Miwcle In Direction) Indi cated the Arrow. Dotted I.lne Bhcma Normal Place of Kara, Which Are Moved Backward by Till "Face," incessant movement of regeneration, which characterizes life, though in a reduced degreo. Wo may, therefore, hope to bring them to u better con dition by stimulating their nutrition. The benefits obtained by oral gym- Tr tHENEVER a vaudovlllo com- Wedlan wants to be really euro of getting a laugh ho will hazard tho guess that some ono or other comes from Oshkosh. Osh kosh Is a perfectly good little Wis consin city, and why peoplo laugh .whenever It Is mentioned is hard to explain. They do laugh, however, a llttlo more than thoy do at tho mention of that other mirth-provoking name, Kalamazoo. But here Is up Oshkosh girl who nas Just attained tho greatest kind of success as a prima donna in Paris. Esther Peterson is her name. Littlo Miss Peterson Is tho daugh ter of a wandering Methodist min ister an Evangelist. When sho was only nino she walked clear across the United States with her father. She sang hymns whilo he played an old-fashioned barrel organ. Tho child's rare volco attracted the attention of a rich Chicago man, a patron of tho arts and a famous teacher of tho voice The musician followed them, and the very next week the little girl had been freed from tho barrol organ and was Btudylng undor her bene factor. When sho was in her early teens sho went to Paris. There sho sup ported herself, in a fashion, by teach ing and -by occasional newspaper writing. Sho was ablo each week to put asldo tho few dollars that gave her tho privilege of attending the classes of Jean Do Reazke and his brother Edouard, tho most famous teachers in Purls outside of tho late Mmo. Marches!. And then only a few days ago she nang as "Lakme" at the Oalete Lyrlque. Soldom was there such instantaneous, glorious success. Im presarios clamored for her. Dur ing the Winter she will sing at Cannes, at Mcntono and other Win ter resorts. She has been engaged for the "Grahdc Semalue" at Deau ville In itself a triumph. And all this, to the contusion of the humorists, has come to a girl from Oshkosh! Copyright 1011 irrima Do nasties are duo primarily to. tho stimulation of the nutrltlvo supply of tho various parts. This helps to repair the ravages caused by disease nnd to keep the organ in an invigor ated condition. Very often deafness is duo to func tional Inertia nnd to the ntrophy which follows tho condition. Thoso cases have n progressive character, which Is a necessary consequenco of tho functional inertia. If only one. ear Is affected tho subject instinctive ly uses only his good car and the other ear atrophies from lack of use. It tho two ears are equally affected, tho Inertia Is Ichs, but none tlio less It exists because tho wufferor tends to isolate himself from the world, thus Increasing his infirmity. Oral gymnastics, would correct both theso olusses of cases. I will now give a detailed descrip tion of tho exercises. They nre di vided Into throo series, exorcising successively tho muscles of tho skull, GRIMACE NO. 2 IlnUlnc of the Musclea of the Forehead, Which Lift the Ear Muiclm. When Thin Movement la Made Properly It Con He Kelt nt the Ear 'rip Indicated by Arrow. of tho external car and of tho Eusta chian tube. Thoy thus proccod from tho muscles most remote to thoso nearest to the ear drdiU, which Is tho principal object to bo reached. Iu tho first exercise, which mny bo nnJ-FromOsliW f Miss Peterson as Sho Appeared in Her Triumph as "Aida." hv the Sta- Company Great Ilrltalt, nights Reaervcl nniMACn NO. S Third Con traction of Forehead In the Di rection Indicated by Arrow. Theae Three Crlmnce, with No. 4, Are the Moat Important for .Stimulating Ear Drum and It Hone. described as making faces, you eon tract successively the different mus cles of tho HpB, tho wings of tho nostrils nud the eyelids. Tho con traction of each group of muscles should bo repontod a certain number UIUMACE NO .4 Mouth and Forehead Contraction, Which la Performed Blmultaneomly Tilth Any of the Preceding; Three User clar a tfee Subject Become More Expert, of times deliberately and without violent effort, Tho patient should endeavor to make thorn stronger as he proceeds and should bear In mind that ho must try to make thorn reach tho oar. When ho has become thor oughly trained ho will feel the con tractions most distinctly In tho oar. The second scries which Is oven morn iiiiportant, consists in exercls lug tho muscles of tho skull and tho external ear. lly u reasonable1 amount of perseverance any man can suc ceed iu producing contractions of theso muscles which will bo ovldent to tho eye. If the scaip muscles nt 1lrsl ticem Immovable and its if mjI tiered to tho scalp, make it more supplo.by massaging it at tho1 begin ning of each exercise. Contract the forohoad mueclo, thon tho occipital musclo (that of tho top of tho Hcalp) separately, and then both together, no us to proilut'o a flowing backward nnd forward motion of all the mus cles of tho tipper part of tho skull. After this tho patient combines the contractions of tho occipital nnd the frontal muscles with those of the pos terior, superior nnd untorlor uttneh inent muscles of tho cur, which should bo qulto easy to do because of tho connection between tho latter and those of tho skull. During theso contractions wo can hoo a movement not very extensive but evident,, of tho Whole external ear. During this t-xerclsu tho patient mu9t endeavor to extend tho movement us far as possible Into tho external ear open ing, aiming to reach the bottom of this opening. This is how functional activity Is imparted to tho little bones In the car and to the drum it oclf. 'rhe third nnd last series consists of exercises to contract the muscles of the Eustuehlou tube. These exer cises are the most difficult of all. Tho patient enn perform them by making a movement us If tn swallow food, well at tho back of tho nasal t-avlty accompanied by tho simul taneous contraction of tho superior constrictor muscle of the pharynx (top of tho throat) and the muscles of the soft palate. In tho effort nt Hwullowing tho backfpart of the tonguo participates naturally. It Is raised up at tho Rame time as tho soft palate. You should feel all theso purls move at tho same time through tho closo bond thut joins them. To strengthen the Eustachian tube, the pntlunt should also practise breathing In with n snorting uolsc, keeping his mouth closed. Oml gymnnstics tmould bo per formed slowly, leaving between tho various exercises sufficient time to avoid the fatigue which haste w.ould purely entail. H is a4vlsablo to per Phqtograph Showing a Con traction of the Draws That Gives a Healthful Pull" to the Muscles of the Ear. In Diagram matic Form Aro Shown (A) Tho Eustachian Tube, (li)tho Hammer nnd Sun Drum, tho Muscles of All or Which Arc Stimu lated by Facial Grimaces, Tho Filaments .(C) Arc Thrcada From tho Facial Nerve. EXrcilCtHE NO. B Eierclae for Opening Up and Stimulating the Mtiaolra of the Kuatnrhlan Tube. In Thl Poaltlon, with the Neck. Muaclra Pulled .Downward, the Nubject Nvrallovra VlKoronaly Mer ern Time. Hepent with Other Side of Neck. form between each series physical exorcises of a dlffcront chnracter, such ns breathing exercises. You must not forget that to obtain n satisfactory result groat patience, perseverance and an Intelligent pre liminary Instruction nro necessary. The Only Way. Sandy arid nctialu Were iIIkcusmIiu tlio domestic infelicities of a mutua, friend. "Ay, ay," uald Siimly, "Jumles Thompson has a salr thno vl' thut wife o' his. They any tlioy're uyi iuiirrclllntf." "What else can ye expectr wai Donald's scornful rotOrt, "The pul fedeB crraturo tnurlt after courtln for only eoven year, Man, hq )iad Tit chance to ken tho wpmun In sk-h short tlnio. When I was coortln', courted for twenty years!" This little rtlaloKUrt tonic place on railway Journey) and In tho further corner Of tHo conipurtment vat un KnKllohman, llstonlnt,' aird much amused, "And may 1 ask." he Inquired, "if ronuuljlnl Wn followed this long courtship?" Donald looked at him reproachfully "J tell ye i ooorteu fop twenty year." ho talcl. "and in that tlpie 1 ketu what woman wiifc, una no l dldna marry." Hated Waste. Snow won fall In if heavily ouUldi the ioboolliouBn. and the yountr teach er Improved the (lino by warning he" clatm of tlio duimerH of oatchlng cold Yes," nhd remarked, ''you mut bo very careful Indeed, now that the real cold weather has conic. Int Winter my llttlo hrotlinr went out with hla lodg-o and causht such a bad cold that hu bus nover got properly woM a Kit In. "He ha to live In the South of France. nnU must nover come back to Knel.ind iiHuln In tho Winter! Ian t that a terrible thing to happen?" Tho pupllu looked duly sympathetic nil s.ive ono, who eagerly deinunded 'Tleaie, teachr, whore'a his ledr' Eccentric Judges. Mr. Uro has had omo ecaentno nredoceasora on the Koottlth Uepc The most oacuuti'la of all was Lord Ufkcrove. Condemning u tailor to death for inut'derlnr a soldier, Lord KakBrovo remarked: "Not only did you murder hlni, whereby he lost his Ifc; but you did thruit, or push, or pierce, of project, or propol the lethal weapon through his rsKlmentul clothes, which were Ills Majenty's." SeiitenciiiK two criminal for houte breaklng with violence, after detail ing the wuy they attacked tho per sons of the houso. Kakgrove. went -n "AH thl you djd, Uod preaerve u JuBt as they ware vlttlnt: down to