Chapter XV: Remedies for Ear Disease and Deafness

Some of the advertisements most frequently seen headed “Deafness cured,” “Eyes and Ears,” “Eye Diseases cured,” etc., do not refer to nostrums obtainable in the usual way through patent medicine dealers. The reader of the announcement is invited to write to the address given for particulars of special remedies, or an “interesting and convincing book post free,” dealing with the cure of diseases without operation, etc. Application for particulars brings much printed matter recommending the advertiser’s method, accompanied by a set of questions to be answered by the sufferer. If these answers are supplied and the fee demanded paid, medicine of some sort is sent. Medicines sold in this way, of which many other instances have been given in previous chapters, form a special class of “secret remedies,” and might be said, perhaps, to come rather under the head of prescribing at a distance, but it is, to say the least, very doubtful whether the composition of the medicines supplied is modified according to the answers given to the questions, and the two kinds of quackery are not sharply separated. In the case of the preparations now to be described, one or two belong more nearly to the class just referred to than to that of ordinary “patent medicines.”

We meet again the benevolent gentleman who having cured himself offers “to send particulars of remedy free,” but eventually sells his treatment at a price which would seem to represent no bad profit on the outlay for materials.

We also meet the dealer who to encourage the possible buyer sends a reduced price coupon only asking in return for the names and addresses of two or three friends who suffer in like manner.

ALFRED CROMPTON’S SPECIFIC FOR DEAFNESS.

This so-called specific, prepared in a town in the north of England, is sold in a bottle containing half a fluid ounce, and costing 1s. 1½d.

The label on the outside of the package was headed:

Deafness Cured!

and continues:

Alfred Crompton’s Specific for Deafness, Noises in the
Ears, &c., is decidedly the best remedy out for this
most annoying complaint. A single Bottle has in most
instances effected a speedy and permanent cure.

The directions were:

Warm the Specific and Shake the Bottle. Two or three
drops to be dropped in the Ear, night and morning, and
rub behind and under the Ear with the Specific.

Analysis showed the following composition:

Soap 3·6 per cent.
Glycerine 45·0 ”
Oil 21·7 ”
Water 29·5 ”
Alcohol a trace.
Oil of rosemary ”

There was a slight indication of a trace of camphor; probably this with the alcohol and oil of rosemary and part of the soap were added in the form of soap liniment. The oil gave analytical figures corresponding to a mixture of almond and colza oils in about equal proportions.

The estimated cost of ingredients, for ½-oz., is one farthing.

DELLAR’S ESSENCE FOR DEAFNESS.

This so-called essence, prepared it is stated by a company giving an address in London, and sold at the price of 1s. 1½d. for a bottle, containing two-fifths of a fluid ounce, is described on the label as “An old-established and valuable remedy.”

Directions for Use.—A small piece of wool, well
moistened with the Essence, to be pushed into the
cavity of the Ear every night at bedtime, and removed
in the morning.

Analysis showed the composition to be;

Oil of turpentine 16 per cent.
Fixed oil 84 ”

The properties of the fixed oil and the figures which it gave on further analysis corresponded to those of almond oil.

The estimated cost of the ingredients, for two-fifths of an ounce, is one halfpenny.

HERBERT CLIFTON’S TREATMENT FOR DEAFNESS.

This is brought to the notice of the public by an advertisement in the following terms:

A new cure for deafness. A Gentleman who cured himself
after 14 years’ suffering will send particulars of
remedy free.

Here followed the gentleman’s address, and an application brought a letter and a pamphlet entitled “Deafness and Noises in the Head, with Instructions how they may be Absolutely Cured,” which was marked “40th edition.” It professed to give an account of the writer’s own experiences. A few extracts will suffice to give an idea of it:

Those only who have suffered from the terrible calamity
of deafness can understand the misery it brings into
one’s life; and only those who have had occasion
to seek the assistance of men who profess to cure
this awful affliction can appreciate how utterly its
treatment is misunderstood by the various advertising
empirics who profess to cure it, whether by electrical,
galvanic, or any of the other methods which are so
alluringly set forth as perfectly infallible by
people who never suffered themselves, who can have no
sympathy, therefore, with those whom they profess to
assist, and whose only object is to extract as large
a sum as they possibly can from the pockets of those
whom they have been able to attract to their spider’s
parlour. The writer, however, of the present pamphlet
is in a different position.... As a lad I began to
suffer from noises in the head, which as time went on
increased to such an alarming degree that I was taken
to an Aural Surgeon.... The usual result followed. I
became worse and worse, and, of course, weaker through
his treatment.... Another doctor was consulted.... But
the treatment failed, my affliction increased, and MY
LIFE BECAME A BURDEN.... There seemed no hope for me.
Nearly a dozen eminent surgeons had seen me, examined
me, said different things about me, and indifferently
treated me; but all to no purpose.... As a last
resource I tried the various quack remedies which have
allured so many to their bitter cost, and many a pound
was wasted on mechanical, electrical, magnetic, and
other useless appliances, and upon ear-trumpets, drums,
tubes, &c., with no result.... Then the wild, yet
happy, thought flashed across me: “Why not try and cure
yourself?” I pondered and pondered over the idea, and
at last, rather than submit to my fate, determined to
study physiology and medicine and endeavour to discover
the cause of my deafness, with the distant hope that
I might alight upon the method of its cure.... The
conclusion I came to was that what I really required
was a medicine which should reach the minute muscles of
the inner ear, as upon their proper action the sense
of hearing almost entirely depends ... after a time I
had succeeded in discovering a preparation which would
do the required work.... My disease was of so long
standing, that I had found it had caused the drums of
my ears to become weak and shrunken ... and I soon
devised a small appliance to fit inside each ear—the
appliance which I now term the “Invisible Drum Support”
... in my gratitude to the Almighty for my merciful
deliverance I vowed that I would publish to the world
the method by which I had struggled out of the dark
past into the brilliant light of the present.

A postscript to the letter stated that “No charge whatever is made for advice, so you need not hesitate to avail yourself of the benefit of my _opinion_,” but no information was vouchsafed as to the price charged for the “treatment,” except that it would be found extremely moderate. Paragraphs, of the usual inspired kind, were quoted from the _Family Doctor_, _Christian Union_, _Family Churchman_, _Health_, and local newspapers of varying degrees of obscurity.

The letter and pamphlet were followed after an interval by another letter, as follows:

Dear Friend,

Referring to your application for my Pamphlet some
time back, I shall be glad to know whether you wish me
to proceed further in the matter. As I have received
no letter from you, I presume that you imagine the
cost of treatment will be too high. I will, therefore,
make you a Special Offer, that is, for the sum of 10s.
(which may be paid in two monthly instalments of 5s.
each, if more convenient) I will forward you the full
Treatment and Directions. Should you avail yourself of
this offer, kindly detach the form at the bottom of
this letter and return to me. The Treatment is, without
doubt, the most effectual ever placed before the
Public, as will be found by the numerous testimonials
received.

I am daily in receipt of letters similar to those
enclosed herewith, and I feel confident that, should
you give the treatment a trial, you will also be able
to report quite as good results.

Kindly let me know your decision as soon as possible.
If you will take my advice you will not further delay.

May I draw your attention to the letters on the other
side?

I am, yours faithfully,
HERBERT CLIFTON.

The “treatment form” was filled up and sent in with 10s., and, as was to be expected, “my candid opinion as to whether my system of treatment is calculated to efficiently meet the requirement,” was apparently in favour of treating the case, as a pair of “drum-supports” and a bottle of fluid were received, together with a letter asking the recipient to follow out the directions given very carefully and not be disheartened “because you find no improvement immediately, you must give the Cure a fair trial. I shall be glad,” the letter concluded, “to hear from you in about three weeks’ time with a general report on your case.”

The “drum-supports” consisted of half-inch lengths of narrow india-rubber tubing, as used for the valves of bicycle tyres, with an inner tube of “gum-elastic,” the india-rubber being expanded at one end into a funnel ¼ in. long, and attached at the other to a small oval disc of sheet india-rubber. The prime cost of the pair would probably not exceed 3d. The bottle was labelled “No. 1. Price 3s.,” and contained 1 fluid ounce of liquid; analysis showed this to have the following composition:

Glycerine 10 per cent. approx.
Oil 28 ” ”
Ether 2 ” ”
Water to 100

A trace (about 0·01 per cent.) of an alkaline substance
was present, which appeared to be borax. The oil showed
the characters of almond oil.

The estimated cost of the ingredients, for 1 oz., is one halfpenny.

OHRSORB COMPOUND.

The following advertisement is taken from _Cassell’s Saturday Journal_:

DOCTOR MAKES DEAF HEAR.

A medical book just published describes a German
doctor’s wonderfully simple cure for deafness and head
noises (a real home cure). A limited number of those
books have been secured for readers of _Cassell’s
Saturday Journal_, and will be sent free by post by
the publisher, M. Franckel.

Application to the London address given brought a pamphlet of sixteen pages, from which a few extracts are here given:

For years it has been known to Medical Men that the
minute vessels or channels of the lymphatic system
underlying the skin, covering the bone behind the ear,
were intimately connected with those supplying vital
nourishment to the middle and internal ear, where we
find the common seat of deafness and head noises.
If, then, we could medicate through the skin, this
important current of lymphatic fluid, controlling the
health of the essential parts of the organ of hearing,
our medications could be made to flow inward to reach
and to cure a disease so deeply hidden within the
ear as to be otherwise regarded as incurable. It is
the province of this little work to explain why the
prescriptions of so many aurists have failed in years
past, and to present a new chemical compound which is
of the utmost value to deaf people.

Applications behind the ear are recommended in the
writings of our greatest ear surgeons. Gruber,
Politzer, Delstanche, Grünfeld, and numerous others
have given us prescriptions of this kind, and,
although their combinations of drugs have failed to
produce any remarkable results, they have pointed
out the remedies that would cure if combined with a
substance which could penetrate the skin freely....
Until lately we possessed no basis for our ointments,
embrocations, or plasters, which could freely penetrate
the skin.... Happily there is a new basis lately
brought to the notice of the medical profession,
which has the remarkable property of uniting with the
watery secretions of the body in such a way that it
(_sic_) absorbed by the skin, and taken up by the
lymphatic circulation (described on p. 1), together
with any drugs that are combined with it in the form of
an ointment.... To this new basis has been given the
name “Ohrsorb.”

Quotations purporting to be from the writings of medical men are given, but no references are provided by which they can be checked; and, indeed, the extracts only refer to a “new preparation” and a “new treatment,” without any indication that the advertised article is the one intended. Another quotation is then given “From the Private Clinical Memoranda of Dr. Kupfinn,” described as an “Hon. Auris Chirurgis,” in which “Ohrsorb” is referred to in a laudatory manner; this is followed by an account of some “typical cases,” but it does not appear that this is part of the quotation, although it is so put that it might easily be taken to be. The pamphlet continues:

It should be clearly understood that Ohrsorb by
itself is only a basis used solely for the purpose of
providing the _active portion_ of the Author’s
Absorption Treatment, and that the cure depends on the
medicinal action of the drugs compounded with it in
any special prescription. It is for this reason that
certain particulars as to each patient’s case are asked
for on the enclosed coupon, namely, that the individual
form of deafness, head noises, or ear trouble may be
treated by an “Ohrsorb” compound specially adapted to
it.

The pamphlet proceeds to give reasons for supplementing the treatment by the use of other articles, of which the following are recommended: “Ohraseptic,” “Nazaseptic,” “Specially Prepared Catarrh Tonic,” a nasal irrigator, and a safety ear syringe. It was accompanied by a leaflet headed, “Medical Report on the ‘Ohrsorb’ Treatment,” in which many testimonials are given, but not one from a medical source or anything of the nature of a medical report; also by a “reduced price coupon,” offering a 2s. 9d. tube for 1s. 6d. or a 4s. 6d. tube for 3s., provided the applicant undertook to use it as directed and report the result, and a list of about fifty questions to be answered in connexion with deafness, &c., and catarrh of the nose and throat, concluding with the following paragraph:

As a little return for supplying the tube of “Ohrsorb”
compound at the reduced price, and for the very special
attention that will be given to your case, the author
will be grateful if you favour him with the names and
addresses of two or three of your friends who suffer
from deafness, head noises, or catarrh of the nose or
throat. This is entirely confidential, and your name
will not be mentioned.

In order to test the importance attached to the answers to the questions, a supply of “Ohrsorb Compound for Deafness” was sent for, without giving any particulars of the supposed case for which it was required. The compound was at once sent, together with a multiple-typed letter of the usual kind, as shown by the following extracts:

“I hope you will not neglect to write me about your
progress with my treatment”; “of course you will
appreciate that in obstinate cases Ohrsorb must be
persisted with for some time before the improvement can
begin to show itself.”

and offering for future supplies three 4s. 6d. tubes for 10s. 6d.

The “Special Ohrsorb Compound” is supplied in collapsible tubes, and the 2s. 9d. size contained just over ½ oz. of ointment. The directions were to rub the ointment once, twice, or thrice a day over the skin close behind the ear, and also from just beneath the ear around to the front of the throat, for three to five minutes.

The ointment, nearly black in colour, contained about 70 per cent. of vaseline, and about 4 per cent. of beeswax, a little soap, and a little saponifiable fat; sulphur and ammonia were present in combination, and the dark constituent appeared to be of the class represented by thiol, tumenol, and petrosulfol, artificial compounds intended to take the place of ichthyol, and like it containing much sulphur in combination but free from its disagreeable odour. The total sulphur found in “Ohrsorb Compound” was 0·8 per cent., which corresponds to about 8 per cent. of one of these substances. An ointment made up with tumenol, soft paraffin, wax, and a little ammonia soap resembled “Ohrsorb Compound” very closely, though the correspondence was not quite complete. It was not considered worth while to isolate the dark constituent in a state of purity permitting of more precise identification than is here indicated; to determine the detailed characterization of such a substance a large quantity would be necessary.