Barany Box
The Barany Box is a clockwork (wind-up) noise generator that
is used in audiological testing with tuning forks and speech testing. It
is named after Robert Barany (1876 to 1936) who became a medical doctor
in 1900 and worked at Politzer's Ear Clinic in Vienna in research on the
vestibular system.
The Barany Box pictured here was made around 1910.
|
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
| |
|
|
The Barany Box is used in what is called a "Barany
Test." The Barany Box is inserted in the hearing ear and
creates a loud buzzing sound while the examiner shouts in the deaf ear
to determine if the patient can hear anything. If the patient cannot
hear the words shouted, then the ear is considered "Barany Deaf."
The view from the top. The post with the ring is the wind up
mechanism. The single post is the on/off switch—in is "on" and out
is "off."
|
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
The sound level produced by both of these Barany Boxes measured a
whopping 110 dB.
This Barany Box (Model N-207) is newer than the one shown above
(about 1950). It
was made by Storz in Germany.
|
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
(If a larger picture doesn't appear, you may have to
turn your pop-up blocker off)
|
|
|
