Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
S Problems of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing of acomplishing research than the central institute. On the other hand, we must consider the less expert and less adequate supervision that would in general be available under such con- ditions; the duplications of equipment involved, and its generally less adequate nature; the lack of synthesis in the studies of case material, and of the experience gained generally, as well as of the values in a long term follow-up. VII. PROBLEMS OF CAUSATION AND PREVENTION These problems lie in large part outside the scope of the work of this Conference. The Medical Division of the National Research Council, the American Otological Association, and other agencies are already in- volved in phases of this work. Certain parts of this research will, how- ever, be closely related to the program of research above recommended. In the interests of cooperative success, the Conference urges, especially on the appropriate agencies, the following purposes: A. THE EFFECTS OF EAR DISEASES Continued efforts should be made to discover the extent to which the acute and chronic inflammatory ear diseases of childhood are responsible for hearing impairment in early and later adult life. B. THE PERIODIC TESTING OF AUDITORY CAPACITY Periodic acoumetric testing of all school children, employing the best standardized instruments and methods of modern technique, should be made a part of the health program of the public school authorities. These tests should be of sufficient accuracy not only to reveal auditory disabilities of a handicapping nature, but also to detect slighter degrees of hypacousia, and so to make possible the early application of remedial measures which may prevent more . . . serious Impairment. C. OTOLOGICAL INSTRUCTION IN MEDICAL SCEOOLS Because of the importance of the skilled participation of the gen- eral practitioner of medicine in any comprehensive movement to solve the problems of auditory disability, the Conference suggests to the Council on Medical Education of the American Medical Association that a survey be made to determine the need in our medical schools for more thorough and extensive instruction of their students in the elements of otology, in order to render the general practitioner more efficient in the diagnosis and treatment of the more common ear diseases. D. THE PROBLEM OF THE INHERITANCE OF AUDITORY DEFICIENCY It is recommended that increased attention be given to the prob- lems of heredity in the field of audition. These problems are not
