A Contribution to the History of Hearing Screening Programs: Dr. Muhiddin Hekimbaşızâde’s Recommendations for Hearing Screening at School Entry a Century Ago

Muhiddin Hekimbaşı says “screen hearing at school entry”

Abstract

School hearing screening program has been carried out in Turkiye since 2015. Screening for hearing loss in schoolchildren was first reported in USA in 1876 and in UK in 1930. In the book titled as “Hygiene of the Ear, Deafness: The Education and Discipline of Deaf, Dumb and Blind Children”, which was written to enlighten general population, Hekimbaşızâde Dr. Muhittin recommended hearing screening at school-entry in Istanbul in 1906 and proposed a method for hearing screening. Further, he reported that 15% of the school children were unable to hear teachers' speech beyond six meters, which roughly indicates mild-modarate hearing loss. We point out importance of this book and his author regarding not only in the history of the fields of health literacy and otology, but also its valuable contributions to the contemporary efforts for improvements in public health and pediatric otology.