The great English lexicographer, Dr. Samuel Johnson, once wrote of deafness as the "most desperate of human calamities." With this in mind, the author has attempted an all-inclusive volume on deafness, gearing it to both professional and lay people. He has included sections on the incidence of deafness; the anatomy and physiology of the auditory system; the various types of hearing aids; conductive, perceptive, and psychogenic deafness; and an appendix which lists materials for testing deafness as well as organizations and institutions concerned with deafness.
The physician should welcome this volume, not so much as a guide for himself, but rather as an informative manual on deafness for his patient. Most of the anatomical and physiological references have been kept on a plane that will be understood by the discerning layman. The more scientifically oriented reader, however, may question some of the statements made, especially with regard to the inborn