About Hearing

The hearing organ in all its details is designed to take in all acoustical communication in our environment, even under extreme conditions. Many years of intensive research have already been able to unlock many of nature's secrets in regard to hearing. Today, this knowledge serves as the basis for the technical development of modern hearing computers, with the aim of approximating the natural hearing process as closely as possible with technical means.

The meaning of hearing to a person's life:

Communication

Did you know what a range of emotional expression can be conveyed through the melodic modulation, the volume and the sound of the spoken word "yes"? Experts tell us that there are about 27 different meanings in this - apparently - simplest of all words. A hearing-impaired person, by simultaneously observing the lip movements of the person speaking, would be able to recognize the word "YES". But the emotional nuances would be largely lost. The communication is reduced to the essentials, and the partners in conversation would increasingly resign themselves to avoiding conversation with the hearing-impaired person. The much feared stage of human isolation then becomes reality.

Perception of sound

A closer look at the "hearing" process reveals that the perception of sound can be independent of visual impressions, as the following example shows:
Try to follow a piano concerto with your eyes closed. The sounds of a piano are gathered by the outer ear, and the acoustical vibrations of the eardrum are then transmitted through the auditory ossicles of the middle ear to the oval window of the cochlea. Through a membrane, the lymphatic fluid in the cochlea stimulates certain hair cells, which in turn excite the auditory nerve itself, sending electrical pulses on to the hearing center in the brain. In the brain, the image of a pianist playing is then created, even if the artist is not in sight. Of course, the person hearing must have visually experienced this image already, so that it is "stored" in his brain.

Learning to speak

For children, learning to speak and to develop their speech-oriented intelligence requires above all an intact hearing faculty. A congenital hearing defect or a hearing impairment acquired at an early age which goes undetected cannot only seriously impair vocal communication, but also damage a person's social competence.

Orientation

Going out the door of your house, you hear the muffled sounds from a bicycle's bell and turn your head just in time to avoid a collision with the hurriedly approaching cyclist. The hearing organ is designed to take in the acoustical communication in our environment, even under extreme conditions.

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