Roosa of New
York mentions the loss of hearing following a kiss on the ear.
Dalby, in a paper citing many different causes of rupture of the
tympanic membrane, mentions the following: A blow in sparring;
violent sneezing; blowing the nose; forcible dilatation of the
Eustachian canal; a thorn or twig of a tree accidentally thrust
into the head; picking the ear with a toothpick. In time of
battle soldiers sometimes have their tympanums ruptured by the
concussion caused by the firing of cannon. Dalby mentions an
instance of an officer who was discharged for deafness acquired
in this manner during the Crimean War. He was standing beside a
mortar which, unexpectedly to him, was fired, causing rupture of
the tympanic membrane, followed by hemorrhage from the ear.
Similar cases were reported in the recent naval engagements
between the Chinese and Japanese. Wilson reports two cases of
rupture of the membrane tympani caused by diving. Roosa divides
the causes into traumatic, hemorrhagic, and inflammatory, and
primary lesions of the labyrinth, exemplifying each by numerous
instances. Under traumatic causes he mentions severe falls, blows
about the head or face, constant listening to a telegraphic
instrument, cannonading, and finally eight cases of
boiler-makers' deafness.
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