Tinnitus and Hyperacusis in Literature, Film, and Music
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Tinnitus Clinical and Research Perspectives 1 Tinnitus and Hyperacusis in Literature, Film, and Music David M. Baguley Introduction acusis will certainly not be exhaustive (and is essentially restricted to work written in or translated into English) but perhaps will spark When a clinician or scientist specializes in a some interest. particular condition or symptom, he or she can become vigilant to mentions of that symp- tom in literature and music. The same can be Tinnitus in Literature true of patients, who may be hyper-alert to and troubled by mentions of their symptom in a negative or catastrophized way. Having The novel A Pair of Blue Eyes (1873) by worked with tinnitus patients for over 30 years, Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) is viewed as and more latterly with hyperacusis, I have one of his minor works, and the structure spotted several mentions of these symptoms in reflects the book’s initial serialization, with a literature, film, and music, and patients have sequence of melodramatic situations. One of drawn my attention to others. Here I recall the main characters is the local vicar Stephen those that come to mind, and reflect upon Swancourt in the fictional village of Endel- the contexts in which tinnitus, hyperacusis, or stow in the English West Country. He has both are mentioned, and consider what this an assistant, William Worm, who describes may tell us about the experiences people asso- tinnitus: ciate with those symptoms. In a compendium Worm said groaningly to Stephen, “I’ve got of depictions of neurological disease in fic- such a noise in my head that there’s no liv- tion, Bogousslavsky and Dieguez (2013) note ing night nor day. ’Tis fir all the world like that the description of the symptoms may be frying fish: fry, fry, fry all day long in my “creative and humane” and allow the clinician poor head, till I don’t know whe’r I’m here to view them from a different perspective. or yonder, There, God A’mighty will find it My list of references to tinnitus and hyper- out sooner or later, I hope, and relieve me.” 1 2 Tinnitus: Clinical and Research Perspectives “Now, my deafness,” said Mr. Swan- to study harder. A more substantial reference court impressively, “is a dead silence; but is in the fourth book, Harry Potter and the William Worm’s is that of people frying fish Half-blood Prince (Rowling, 2005), wherein in his head. Very remarkable, isn’t it?” Harry finds that his allocated textbook for his “I can hear the frying-pan a-frizzle as Potions class has been annotated by a previous naterel as life,” said Worm corroboratively. student, who turns out to have been his teacher (Hardy, 1873, p. 24) Severus Snape. Among the scribbled notes are some spells, including, “perhaps most useful This high-frequency tinnitus plays no further of all, Muffliato, a spell that fills the ears of part in the plot, however. anyone nearby with an unidentifiable buzzing, The main protagonist and narrator of the so that lengthy conversations could be held novel Money by Martin Amis (1984) is John in class without being overheard” (Rowling, Self, an amoral and dissolute man who aspires 2005, p. 224). Hermione refuses to use the to being a film producer and thereby making spell, but Harry finds it of value when needing and spending large amounts of money. He only to have conversations un-overheard as the plot succeeds in the latter, and it transpires that the of the book unfolds. film plan was an elaborate hoax, and that all Another children’s book of interest is whom Self had trusted were in fact duplicitous Clicking Vicky (Freud, 1980) (Figure 1–1). The in many and various ways. As the novel opens, eponymous heroine has an unusual trait: Self complains of recent-onset tinnitus: She clicked. Every night. Practically all the Owing to this fresh disease I have called tin- time it was dark and sometimes in the after- nitus, my ears have started hearing things noon as well. Absolutely regular, every nine recently, things that aren’t strictly auditory. seconds there would come from the dozing or Jet take-offs, breaking glass. Ice scratched sleeping child a small, precise and rather well- from the tray. It happens mostly in the bred noise such as you would get if you struck mornings . (Amis, 1984, p. 1) the end of your little fingernail hard against I’m drinking tax-exempt whisky from a your front tooth. (Freud, 1980, p. 2) toothmug, and listening to see if I’m still hearing things. The mornings are the worst. In the book, Vicky is diagnosed with congen- This morning was the worst yet. I heard ital “epiglottal prontosis” (which may be an computer fugues, Japanese jam sessions, error by the author, Clement Freud, as this is didgeridoos. What is my head up to? I wish not a term in medical use), and the regularity I had some idea what it’s got in mind for me. of her clicks proves useful when all the clocks (Amis, 1984, p. 5) in the world fail. A more common finding in the audiology context would be middle ear Self’s tinnitus is thus a formless auditory hal- myoclonus (Chapter 9), in which the clicks lucination rather than tinnitus as generally would be less regular but more frequent experienced, though such reports are heard in (Bhimrao, Masterson, & Baguley, 2012). the clinic. The context of stress in which Self develops tinnitus is also commonly observed in clinic. Religious Literature Transient tinnitus is mentioned as an aside several times in the Harry Potter series, There are 20 instances of the word deaf in the associated with Harry being angry, and with Bible, usually as a metaphor for not listening Hermione Granger’s use of time travel in order to God. There are no references to tinnitus, Tinnitus and Hyperacusis in Literature, Film, and Music 3 Figure 1–1. The cover of Clicking Vicky (Freud, 1980). however. The Talmud is a Jewish Rabbinic ment for the fall of the Temple. The Talmud work, compiling oral Torah (instruction) with indicates that Titus had some short-lived relief: expositions of the Hebrew Bible. It contains A gnat entered his nostril and pecked at his some historical references, and regarding tinni- brain for seven years. One day Titus was tus recounts the story of the Roman Emperor passing by a blacksmith. He heard the sound Titus (ad 39–81) who ordered the destruction of the sledgehammer and the gnat became of the Second Temple in Jerusalem (ad 70). silent. Titus thus said: “here is the remedy.” The Talmud describes Titus as having tinnitus Everyday he brought a blacksmith to bang in (Dan, 2005), and considers that as punish- his presence . for thirty days this worked 4 Tinnitus: Clinical and Research Perspectives fine but then the gnat became accustomed and philosopher. In his posthumously pub- and resumed pecking. (Quoted in Dan, lished book Sylva Sylvarum or a Natural His- 2005, p. 211) tory in Ten Centuries, which compiled many of his writings, he mentions a personal experi- This represents an early illustration of sound ence of tinnitus in the context of exposure to therapy, and the clinical observation that this intense sound and temporary threshold shift: may seem very effective initially but not result in long-term benefit. This is also an example A very great Sound, neare hand, hath stricken of a person with tinnitus establishing an elabo- many Deafe; And at the Instant they have rate system of self-help (see Chapter 14). found, as it were, the breaking of a Skin or Meditation is an integral part of Bud- Parchment in theire Eare: and myself stand- dhist practice, and the experience of hearing ing neare one that Lured loud, and shrill, had tinnitus-like sounds while deeply meditating suddenly an Offence, as if somewhat had is mentioned quite often. An example is in the broken, or been dislocated in my Eare; And practice of nada yoga (nada being the Sanskrit immediately after, a loud Ringing; (Not an word for “silence”), wherein one meditates on ordinary Singing, or Hissing, but far louder, and differeing;) so as I feared some Deafnesse. an inner sound, dubbed the “sound of silence.” But after some half Quarter of an Houre it For example: vanished. To detect the nada sound, turn your atten- Following the introduction of tobacco tion toward your hearing. If you listen care- fully to the sounds around you, you’re likely to Europe it became very popular, and many to hear a continuous, high-pitched inner benefits were described, including a reduction sound like white noise in the background. It of tinnitus, in the work “Hymnus Tabaci: A is a sound that is beginningless and endless. Poem in Honour of Tobacco” (Thorios, 1651): There’s no need to theorize about this in- ner vibration in an effort to figure out exactly The swelling of the head it drives away, what it might be. Just turn your attention to And bribes the Ears musicians not to play. it. If you’re able to hear this inner sound, you can use the simple act of listening to it as A footnote indicates that the “Ears musicians” another form of meditation practice, in the refers to “A whistling or singing in the head.” same way one uses the breath as an object of In a 1675 verse play (Aureng-zebe, Act II), awareness. Just bring your attention to the John Dryden (1631–1700) describes tinnitus inner sound and allow it to fill the whole sphere of your awareness.