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JRRD at a Glance

Personal reflections on the multichannel cochlear implant and a view of the futur

Graeme M. Clark, Laureate Prof Emer, AC, FAA, FRS, MS, PhD, FRCS, FRACS

Combined sensory hair cell excitation and electrical stimulation ofauditory nerves.

Profoundly deaf people can have trouble mixing socially, and children born deaf rarely develop spoken language compared with persons who hear. Both groups can benefit from the cochlear implant. It has a microphone that passes signals to a small processor worn behind the ear. Coded information is then transmitted through the skin to the implanted unit behind the ear. This transmission stimulates the hearing nerve in the inner ear, and the responses pass to the brain where they are understood as speech. Most profoundly deaf people can benefit from and should seek professional help. Cochlear implants can also benefit people personally and emotionally and brings them greater job opportunities.


Volume 45 Number 5, 2008
   Pages 651 — 694

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