Removal of foreign bodies from the ear-passages.—Mr. Toynbee, in
a communication to the Provincial Journal, condemns the use of for-
ceps or curettes, and says—“ The instrument that I have always found
successful in removing foreign bodies from the external auditory meatus
without fear of producing inflammation, is a syringe, of capacity suffi-
cient to hold two or three ounces of water. The plan of using a syringe
in these cases has been often recommended, but I feel confident that it
will not prove successful unless the syringe be of sufficient size to allow
the water to be injected with considerable force. Forceps and other in-
struments are had recourse to by surgeons who have found that the for-
eign body is not moved by the use of a small syringe, the great fault of
which is that sufficient force cannot be used to cause the water to pass
between the foreign substance, when it is large and round, and the walls
of the meatus ; or, if the substance is heavy, an outward current power-
ful enough to carry it towards the orifice cannot be induced. Of the
foreign bodies which I have recently removed from the external auditory
meatus by means of the syringe, two consisted of a pea and ahead, both
appearing, on examination with the speculum, to be closely surrounded
by the membranous meatus; the third was a piece of slate pencil lying
at the lower wall of the inner extremity of the tube, and in contact with
the membrana tympani. I feel confident that an attempt to extract any
of these substances by means of forceps or director would have been at-
tended by injury to the meatus or membrana tympani, whereas each was
removed by the use of a syringe for about three minutes.—London Medi-
cal Gazette.