A CYTOLOGIC STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF DRUGS ON THE COCHLEA

Abstract

The effects of various toxic agents such as drugs, poisons and toxins on the mechanism of hearing are more readily studied by tests of hearing than by examination of sections of the cochlea for pathologic changes. The electrical method for testing hearing in animals now makes it possible to correlate the two phases of the work, and a subsequent paper will deal with the electrical response of the cochlea in relation to the cytologic observations reported here. Wittmaack,¹Beck²and others have described changes in the spiral ganglion cells and peripheral acoustic nerve fibers following experimental drug intoxications in animals. Quinine and sodium salicylate are the principal drugs for which alterations have been observed, although similar changes occur after the administration of methyl or ethyl alcohols in guinea-pigs. Bacterial toxins have also been found to provoke a similar reaction. In spite of these important findings