MEMORIES OFTHE LATE DR. HOUSE

摘要

The recent article by Fan-Gang Zeng, PhD, "William F. House, MD, Audiology Pioneer" (Dec. 2012, p. 32; http://bit.ly/ DrBillArticle), brought back memories from my 16 years' experience as executive director of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (1962-1978). I learned a lot I did not know when I chaired an informational public meeting at Georgetown University sometime around 1975.Dr. House had kindly agreed to reveal more about a new surgical procedure that appeared to hold great promise for families with a child who had a severe congenital hearing loss. I was one such parent myself.My respect and admiration for Dr. Bill soared when he responded to a question from the floor: "When can I get this surgery for my child?" At that time, it was illegal to perform a cochlear implant on a minor.Dr. House candidly replied something to this effect: "Well, we really are still in the research stage and are still learning about the side effects and related problems. We cannot perform the surgery on a patient without their full consent, which is not possible with a young child."