Tuning forks in the medical profession?

[Diane Hofstetter]

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 There are three hearing tests that medical doctors use tuning forks for.  A fourth, the  Schwabach test is rarely used today, it was developed in 1890 and simply compared the patient's hearing with the doctors by counting  how long each one heard the fork. (Real accurate, right?)
The other three are still useful in helping to determine the cause of a hearing loss.  This is very important, because some types of hearing loss can be cured, so you want to know what type loss you have!
The Bing test utilizes the occlusion effect to test for the presence or absence of conductive hearing loss, the Rinne test compares hearing by air conduction with hearing by bone conduction (both types of hearing are involved in tuning), and the Weber test is performed in cases of hearing loss in one ear to determine if the impairment in the poorer ear is conductive(mechanical loss, curable) or sensorineural (nerve damage, probably not cureable).
Now, aren't you sorry you asked?  On the other hand, if you want to know how to perform any tuning fork tests with your own fork on your own hearing,reply here or write me at dianepianotuner@hotmail.com, and I'll explain how.
Diane
 
  Robert Goodale <rrg@unlv.edu> wrote: Actually it just occured to me... perhaps they are used for tuning heart 
strings! ZING! go the strings of my heart! :-D

Rob Goodale, RPT
Lasw Vegas, NV


Robert Goodale wrote:

> Being a university tech I sometimes wonder down to the union for 
> lunch. Today I took a detour and browsed the book store for a moment. 
> Having a large medical program the book store stocks an inventory of 
> supplies for med students labs and classes. In the display were 
> stethoscopes, forceps, kits for student nurses, sphygmomanometers, and 
> so on. Along with this were tuning forks! Huge ones, (very low 
> frequency), with sliding adjustable weights on the tines to adjust the 
> pitch. There were two different sizes and the label proudly announced 
> them as "highly accurate for the medical profession".
>
> I would find it hard to believe that these are used for testing 
> hearing since the objective of a university it to teach techniques 
> using current and modern equipment. So what would one use a tuning 
> fork for if one were studying modern medicine? Perhaps to scan a 
> patient's credit for paying the bill?
>
> Rob Goodale, RPT
> Las Vegas, NV
>




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