Deafness and its Effects THE deaf gain little sympathy from
their fellow men. It has long been decided that blindness is pathetic but deafneks is comic. And, even where the afflictions are less grave. the " hard of hearing " are subject to more jokes than the " short- sighted." • Put in another way : who would not rather be seen . wearing cyeglasses than carrying an ear-trumpet ?
And yet deafness builds as large and painful a barrier between man and his surroundings as blindness does. Psycho-
logically, it builds a still worse barrier. It is made infinitely hard for the deaf to keep bright and happy in the society of their fellows. They often -meet with impatience instead of pity. They are driven in upon themselves by the mere fact that they feel out of place in general conversation and cannot keep up with the interests and enjoyments -a those around them.
Every observant man must have noticed the sad and eager smile, the too great readiness to show understanding, the
tragic little subterfuges and unavailing deceits of many of the deaf. And most-people have probably known instances of men who have given up the struggle, have become isolated and morose and unsociable through brooding on their com- plaint. Of all the " organic inferiorities " which, the psychologists tell us, are the occasion of distress and neurosis throughout the modern world, deafness is one of the most difficult for the soul to conquer.
It would be best, no doubt, if the fact of deafness were faced openly and accepted tranquilly, and if adaptations of the manner of life were made to suit the fact, for the attempts to hide it arc generally pitiable and worse than useless. But in our competitive age that easy acceptance may be impossible. There is often no place for a man who confesses to a disability. - As in all other questions we find a need both for individual regeneration and for social reform. There can be no complete solution to any problem unless these two go hand in hand.
But the individual can 'at least make his life happy and useful and full, no matter what disabilities he suffers froth. Or, shall we say rather, there is still a possibility of that • radical peace of mind and equilibrium from which all true use and ,enjoyment spring. It is not the circumstances of • life that matter, but the mind a man brings to them, says a Stoic proverb. It is only where there isn wrong self-estimation that an organic inferiority causes distress. It is only when 'a man unconsciously' thinks he deserves better of fate that he feels baffled by life and bears a grudge against mankind.
• The first thing for anyone afflicted with deafness to do is to recogniie his position. Many people keep up a pretence that they are Perfectly normal, or that they will soon recover their hearing in the natural course of events, long after attention has become necessary. They hesitate to confess to themselves that anything is wrong, and they run the danger of confirming a condition that could perhaps be cured or relieved immediately. Much deafness is caused by a merely temporary obstruction in the outer ear that could be removed by a syringe ; yet the present reviewer has .known a case
• where a "Man remained deaf for twenty years, •a;hen all the time he Could have been Completely cured in a day.
A good diagnosis should be procured. In some eases the deafness is psychological in origin, and, where no organic cause is found, a psychologist should be consulted. Even where there appears to be an organic defect, there may be psychological roots to the trouble. There is scarcely a disease which cannot be aped by the " unconscious," and it would he a great advance if the physician and the psychiater worked hand in hand, at least in the treatment of chronic complaints.
Mr. Balbi's book contains a very clear and precise account of the several kinds Of deafness and of the types of instrument which can alleviate it when there is no method of cure. The first half runs quickly through the theory of sound and its reception, and the physical causes of impaired hearing. In the second half he discusses the principles of remedies and their application in different cases. The most interesting way of stimulating the sense of hearing is by " bone conduction." 'Even where car-trumpets and microphones fail,• the bones of the head can be made to convey vibrations to the inner ear, and to set maction-'the lliluid on w'lfose:.tlisplacements the reception of 'sound depends. = Lord Charnwood has contributed a sympathetic preface, in which he points out with much insight the trials of the deaf. He expresses excellently one reason for the lack of consideration that is so often shown to them
The kindly acts which blind people invite from us are for the most part very easy and obviously meritorious. But the kindness which can bo done to the hard of hearing will probably be unnoticed by the beholders, and almost always involves, a definite act of will."
Altogether, this is an admirable pamphlet ; it should bring information and a temperate hope to the afflicted, and understanding to the more fortunate.
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