In article <pproctor.601.00193CFB at sam.neosoft.com> pproctor at sam.neosoft.com (Peter H. Proctor) writes:
>From: pproctor at sam.neosoft.com (Peter H. Proctor)
>Subject: Re: Brain pigment
>Date: Mon, 23 Oct 1995 21:19:26 UNDEFINED
>In article <Pine.3.89.9510230850.E8701-0100000 at lex.lccc.edu> rcb1 at LEX.LCCC.EDU (Ron Blue) writes:
>>From: rcb1 at LEX.LCCC.EDU (Ron Blue)
>>Subject: Re: Brain pigment
>>Date: 23 Oct 1995 05:47:53 -0700
>>On Sat, 21 Oct 1995, Peter H. Proctor wrote:
>>>>>>CUT>>
>>> Also, melanin is the most potent sound-absorbing agent known. Sure
>>> enough, it is present in the inner ear. Depigmenting syndromes ( E.G.
>>> Waardenburg's syndrome as well as blue-eyed white cats ) tend to be
>>> associated with Deafness.
>>>>>>CUT
>>Oliver Sacks in his book on the Migraine (1992) reported a case history
>>of a patient who had a migraine aura that was modulated with the
>>same frequency as his viberating motorbike.
>>Ron Blue
> Fascinating... A couple of interesting things about melenin and sound.
>1) The original poster in this thread was in an ophthalmology department. In
>some diseases, pigmentary retinopathy is associated with deafness.
>2) The studies on the sound-absorbing properties of melanin were done at a
>defense research establishment in Japan, by one of the world's foremost
>researchers in sound absorbtion. Ever notice how most submarines seem to be
>black ?
>Dr. Dr. Peter Proctor
The reference to the sound-absorbing properties of melanin is
Kono, et al, Anomalous absorbtion and dispersion of sound waves in
diethyamine melanin, in: Journal of Applied Physics, 50, p1236, ( 1979 ).
I doubt this would show in a med-line search.
Peter H. Proctor, PhD, MD
