The Lasker–DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, announced September 9, recognizes the contributions of three pioneers of cochlear implantation: Graeme Clark, Ingeborg Hochmair, and Blake Wilson. Their collective efforts have transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who would otherwise be deaf. Deafness impairs quality of life by relentlessly dismantling the machinery of human communication. Ludwig van Beethoven, plagued by deafness, wrote in 1802, “For me there can be no relaxation in human society; no refined conversations, no mutual confidences. I must live quite alone and may creep into society only as often as sheer necessity demands . . . . Such experiences almost made me despair and I was on the point of putting an end to my life.” The feelings of hopelessness, despair, and even shame that attended profound hearing loss lingered well into the late 20th century. The few who sought medical help were told there was nothing to be done for them. Today, the World Health Organization estimates that 360 million people worldwide are living with disabling hearing loss; as the population ages, the global burden of disease attributable to deafness will increase, and means of alleviating the disability will assume ever-increasing importance.
Posted on: Fri, 13 Sep 2013 17:40:30 +0000
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