Hans  Wilhelm  Meyer,  in  1868,  first  called  the  attention  of  the
medical  world  to  the  influence  of  adenoids  in  the  causation  of  deaf-
ness.
A  passive  hyperemia  and  consequent  congestion  of  the  mucous
membrane  of  the  Eustachian  tube,  with  fibrous  exudation  and  narrow-
ing of  the  tube,  follows  interference  with  rarefaction  of  the  Eustachian
tube  and  middle  ear.  With  an  alteration  in  the  atmospheric  pressure
in  the  middle  ear,  the  membrana  tympani  becomes  thickened  and
slightly  retracted.  If  disease  of  the  middle  ear  is  continued  for  any
length  of  time,  the  ossicles  become  agglutinated  and  deafness
results.
Suppuration  in  the  middle  ear  is  a  frequent  sequela  of  adenoids.
Many  cases  of  acute  and  chronic  otitis  media  get  well  with  no  other
treatment  than  the  removal  of  the  adenoids  and  subsequent  irriga-
tion of  the  naso-pharnyx  with  a  mild  antiseptic  and  astringent  wash.
In  hypertrophy  of  the  pharyngeal  tonsils,  sufficient  to  obstruct
nasal  respiration,  there  is  always  a  decrease  in  the  hemoglobin  and
red  corpuscles.
Persistent  nasal  discharge,  cough,  spasmodic  croup,  night  terrors,
enuresis  nocturna,  snoring,  parching  of  the  mouth  and  pharynx  and
neuralgia  are  among  the  many  symptoms  accompanying  the  disease.
Asthma  is  reported  by  Frankel,  Chatellier  and  Bosworth  as  many
times  dependent  upon  adenoid  growths.  The  author  recalls  a  case
of  asthma  in  a  child  in  which  there  was  immediate  relief  following
idenectomy.  Under  the  continued  use  of  small  doses  of  iodid  of
potassium,  this  case  subsequently  became  quite  well.
