[log in to unmask] writes:

>Beethoven's problem has been described in many speech and hearing journals
>by world renowned experts.  There actually is a fair amount of agreement
>about the result.  Only the cause is left to debate.
>
>He couldn't hear much through these tricks because he wasn't confronted
>with silence.  Beethoven was suffering from a form of deafness that
>caused him to have a constant hissing and roaring noise.  He was problem
>overwhelmed some of the time from the noise that he sensed all the time.
>
>I am not sure I understand your position. I assume your talking about
>tinnitus,
>and research shows up to 50 million people worldwide suffer this condition.
>While the causes are many, I do not think the noise itself can block out
>sound,
>thus "masking" and this create a deafness in itself. I read about Beethoven
>complaining about it but not to the point of it being a focal point of his
>deafness.
>
>Since I believe Beethoven had a sensori-neural impairment to begin with,
>that led
>to his deafness it seems logical that his tinnitus is related to this
>condition. Also,
>it can come from otosclerosis (more rare) but as I mention in my other
>replies,

this has to be ruled out if the circumstances of Beethoven's life are to
be believed.

By the way, sensori-neural does not refer to the direct cause of the loss,
only which part of the ear is affected, in this case, the inner ear.

Glenn Miller