Robert Traynor

Robert M. Traynor, Ed.D., is a hearing industry consultant, trainer, professor, conference speaker, practice manager and author. He is a founding member of HHTM and had previously written a regular weekly column for the site for many years. He has decades of experience teaching courses and training clinicians within the field of audiology with specific emphasis in hearing and tinnitus rehabilitation. He serves as Adjunct Faculty in Audiology at the University of Florida, University of Northern Colorado, University of Colorado and The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Featured image for “The Deafness of George”

The Deafness of George

Hearing International has shied away from a discussion of George Washington’s hearing impairment as, on the surface, it appears not to be an international topic. But as research progressed into his hearing issues, it has become evident that there are some international aspects to the story that should be presented and will shed light on his known hearing loss and

Featured image for “Children of a Lesser God”

Children of a Lesser God

On the frozen tundra and farmland in northeast North Dakota lies what the Sioux Indians called the “sacred water“. Devil’s Lake, as it’s called these days, is high in saline and not fit to drink, but home to some of the best ice fishing in the country. This was also home to one of the finest actresses of our time and

Christopher Columbus Brought More than Riches from America – Part II

On October 12,1492, Rodrigo de Triana, a sailor aboard the Pinta, first sighted land. Columbus himself later claimed to have seen a sort of light or aura before Triana did, allowing him to keep the reward he had promised to give whomever spotted land first. The land turned out to be a small island in the present-day Bahamas. Columbus named it

Christopher Columbus Brought More than Riches from America – Part I

The late 1400s was a time of emerging western imperialism and economic competition among the various European Kingdoms. At the time, these kingdoms were seeking trade routes to the to the Orient and colonizing various parts of the globe, while constantly worrying about sailing off the edge of the flat world. Christopher (Colon) or Columbus, as he became known, had a

The Japanese Beethoven

In November 2011, A.S. ,a senior member of the Unsung Composers site wrote…..”Today, I introduce a Symphony by Japanese composer Mamoru Samuragochi, who was born in Hiroshima at 1963 is a taught musician. Because he denied contemporary music , so he did not enter University of music. He suffered migraines since high school, and at age of 35 he completely

Early Clinical Audiology – The Legacy of Dr. Moe Bergman and the WWII Audiologists

Dr. Moe Bergman, a World War II veteran, one of the founders of the profession of Audiology, designer of the first Veteran’s Administration Audiology Clinics (US), the first Executive Officer and former Professor of Audiology within the Doctoral Program in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences at the City University of New York (CUNY), died on February 20, 2014 in Herzliya, Israel. He was 97. Upon his retirement from

So…..Cough Please

When an audiologist cleans out an ear canal, the patient often coughs. Since it is a normal part of the process in cerumen management or other procedures, clinicians expect and prepare for these reflexive coughs. But what causes this cough reflex, and where does it come from? The story begins with Philipp Friedrich Arnold (1803-1890), who was born in Edenkoben at Landau, Germany, in

Better Hearing From Darkness?

What do Ray Charles (Click on Ray for a Song) and Stevie Wonder (Click on Stevie for a song) have in common? Besides super music, both people were blind, which, according to recent studies, may enhance hearing not only for acuity, but for quality as well. A few months go, Hearing International published an article about Echolocation where the blind use

It’s Not Just Earwax Anymore!

In the past, Hearing International reviewed the racial implications of cerumen as well as how it is removed in various parts of the world. So when the story broke about the use of earwax in personal identification, it was a discussion that we could not resist. Recently scientists from the Monell Center in Philadelphia, PA (USA) have used analytical organic chemistry to identify the presence of

Roman Food Orgies and the Ear

If you happened to be wandering the streets of ancient Rome in say 59 BC at dusk on a seaside resort you might be accosted by a slave inviting you to an imperial banquet. All rich Romans were expected to be fabulous entertainers — the more extravagant their feasts, the more powerful they were perceived to be. And emperors were obliged to