Brooks D N
J Med Eng Technol. 1986 Jul-Aug;10(4):167-79. doi: 10.3109/03091908609022905.
From its origin in the 1940s audiology--the discipline concerned with hearing in all its aspects--has grown in many directions. Knowledge about the functioning of the auditory system has improved for both the normal and disordered state. Hearing loss can greatly diminish the quality of life of the individual affected and of those closely associated with him/her. It is more widespread than generally recognized, a fifth of the adult population having hearing below the level of social adequacy, with the cost to the community in monetary terms probably being between 200 million pounds and 300 million pounds a year. Detection of hearing loss in infancy, or even in the foetus, is vital to early and effective treatment; a number of new techniques are being investigated to improve the accuracy of hearing screening procedures. Transient hearing loss in early childhood is very common. In this age group the problem to which much attention is being directed is the identification of a minority in whom the usually transient condition becomes permanent and handicapping. In adult subjects the diagnosis of hearing problems is now well developed and effective. For those unable to benefit from medical or surgical treatment the situation is less satisfactory. For the elderly hearing impaired and for some of the less elderly also, the principal form of remediation is through amplification--mainly, but not exclusively, hearing aids. Yet of those likely to benefit from this form of assistance only about one quarter are actually receiving help. The poor take up of hearing aids stems partly from the somewhat thoughtless and ill-informed public attitude to hearing impairment and partly from weaknesses in service provision. The audiologist has a role to play in remedying this situation and also in the area of hearing loss prevention. Noise is the major cause of avoidable hearing loss, both in the industrial and entertainment areas. Education about, and prevention of hearing loss are likely to be significant growth areas for audiologists in the future.
从20世纪40年代起源以来，听力学——一门关注听力各个方面的学科——已经朝着许多方向发展。关于听觉系统在正常和紊乱状态下功能的知识都有所增进。听力损失会极大地降低受影响个体及其密切相关人员的生活质量。它比普遍认为的更为普遍，五分之一的成年人口听力低于社会适当水平，社区每年为此付出的金钱代价可能在2亿至3亿英镑之间。在婴儿期甚至胎儿期检测听力损失对于早期有效治疗至关重要；目前正在研究一些新技术以提高听力筛查程序的准确性。幼儿期的短暂听力损失非常常见。在这个年龄组中，备受关注的问题是识别少数通常短暂的状况会变为永久性并导致残疾的人群。在成年受试者中，听力问题的诊断现在已经很完善且有效。对于那些无法从药物或手术治疗中受益的人来说，情况就不那么令人满意了。对于老年听力受损者以及一些较年轻的听力受损者来说，主要的补救方式是通过放大——主要但不限于助听器。然而，在那些可能从这种援助形式中受益的人中，实际上只有大约四分之一的人得到了帮助。助听器的使用率低部分源于公众对听力障碍有些轻率和缺乏了解的态度，部分源于服务提供方面的不足。听力学家在改善这种状况以及预防听力损失方面都可以发挥作用。在工业和娱乐领域，噪音是可避免听力损失的主要原因。关于听力损失的教育和预防很可能是听力学家未来重要的增长点。
