[log in to unmask] writes:

>This conclusion is not impossible and maybe correct.  However, it's a fact
>that Beethoven never became stonedeaf in the true of the sense of the word.
>Even on his deathbed he was able to hear sounds, though not much and only
>very loud ones, like shouting in his best ear.  Even as late as 1812/14 he
>was able to play the piano in a far from perfect, but nevertheless
>convincing and moving way.  And already in about 1796 the first signs of
>bad hearing had appeared.

To explain my point I will use some examples.  Our hearing can only be
as good as it's weakest link.  If Beethoven had a severe sensori-neural
hearing loss (slang:  stone-deaf) this would be the weakest link.  Then,
in fact, if (a very big if) he had oto-sclerosis disease it would be
of no consequence.  When an ear specialist examines a patient who has
oto-sclerosis, they will have a hearing test done to check for a normal
inner hearing range.  If OK, and a good candidate for surgery, then chances
are good for complete normal hearing.  If inner hearing is less than
normal, the surgeon always hesitates to do it because even if successful,
their hearing is limited by nerve loss.  And when their nerve loss is
moderate to severe, operating is out of the question.  In severe cases,
you would have profound loss(nerve)mixed with moderate(conductive) so
fixing the conductive loss still leaves a profound hearing loss.  For
all practical purposes, the mix loss is in name only--the true trouble
is nerve loss.  In the second example, the mix loss is more problematic
by conductive loss but the surgeon knows that nerve loss worsen over
times+surgical risks+odds of being successful so hearing aids are
recommended.

Oto-sclerosis of the cochlea is rare and implies that first there was
oto-sclerosis middle ear disease that over time infected the cochlea.
Early Beethoven seems to show classic symptoms of sensori-neural loss:
high frequency loss.  I will leave it to others, if they wish to supply
examples of early Beethoven complaining of his experiences.

Also mix hearing loss does not imply that oto-middle ear and oto-cochlea go
together.  Most people with oto-middle ear and sensori-neural loss just
happen to have plain old tired worn out nerves due to a variety of
possibilities.

Your examples above about B are not unusual.  I find it interesting, at the
very least, that if B is too have some residual hearing in his last days
his middle ear would be functioning to amplify the sound to his "profound
loss" in the inner ear.

This conclusion can be certain:  Beethoven with the same degree of
nerve loss with or without oto-middle loss is better off with just nerve
loss--not much better but at least the possibilty exist.  This may explain
why he could at hear some sounds at the end but it a conductive loss added
to this burden would have increased the difficulty.  This is at best a
guessing game in this area, not a very good one at that.

Glenn Miller