Primer of Physiology; Being a Practical Textbook of Physiological Principles and Their Applications to Problems of Health (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1920 Excerpt: ...in the middle ear and are caused by germs. These germs work their way from the throat into the ear through the Eustachian tube, and they grow in the lining of the middle ear and about the little bones, much as they grow in the nose when we have catarrh. Frequently, in diseases like colds, grip, scarlet fever, measles, and diphtheria, the ears become infected, and in these cases it is most important that a physician give them early and proper care. Often it is adenoids that start ear trouble, and in chronic cases of earache or running ears, adenoids should be looked for. It is not right to allow children to suffer needless pain from ear troubles, and they ought not to be left to outgrow them; for a running ear already has a hole through the tympanic membrane, and the hearing is in danger of being lost. Nearly all deafness in older persons is due to the fact that when these persons were children, germs were allowed to grow in the ears until they damaged the tympanic membrane or the bones that carry the motion of the sound waves to the inner ear. Sometimes the membrane or the chain of bones is broken down or destroyed. Sometimes the trouble is that the membrane is thickened and stiffened, or the chain of bones is stiffened at the joints until the movement in it is wholly or partly lost. Among grown persons about one third have the heading affected in one or both ears. This could be prevented by attending to the ears at the proper time. Other points in the care of the ear. Quinine, if taken for a considerable time, may cause deafness, and this medicine, like other medicines, should be used only when prescribed by a physician. A blow on the side of the head is dangerous to the hearing; for it may send so strong an air wave down the canal of the ear that the Fig....