Community Magazine August 2016

TAMUZ - AV 5776 AUGUST 2016 87 cochlea’s tiny hairs wave in the fluid, like seaweed in a tidal current. Incredibly, this waving generates a minute wisp of electricity that feeds into the auditory nerve and leads into the brain just three quarters of an inch away. In all, thousands of different messages pour simultaneously into the brain, which adeptly unscrambles the flood of data and communicates clearly the everyday sounds we hear. For example, the alarm clock is ringing – time to get up! As if this weren’t impressive enough, every sound received by the brain is carefully stored away in the memory bank for future reference. Once heard, a voice, a message or a distinctive sound, is recognized by the ear for all time. Can you conjure up in your mind the sound of rain on a tin roof? Rustling leaves? The blast of the Shofar? Well then, there you have it! How is it possible for the eardrum, consisting only of tiny bones and drifting fluid, to transmit not only one sound, but many different sounds, all at the same time? Think about it: At any one instant, you can hear someone talking to you, the ticking of a clock, a door closing and the telephone ringing. All the sounds are different, yet all are transmitted. Even the vibrations of the eardrum, a seemingly simple mechanism, are actually enormously complex. Add to that the many sophisticated refinements that the system possesses – one, to block out unwanted background sounds, another to reduce the level of damaging volume as things heard crash through the ear, yet another to repair the ear drum should it become perforated – and it’s clear that the ear – though not much larger than a hazelnut – is a masterpiece of foresight and design. Tuvia Cohen is a humorist, scientist, and an accomplished author. ...an architect who once designed a prison in the shape of a human ear. By positioning himself in the very center of this most unusual structure, the chief warden was able to hear every sound and conversation spoken in the entire prison. Allenhurst Deal Elberon Interlaken Loch Arbour Long Branch Oakhurst West Deal West Long Branch Doc’s delivers to your DOOR in July and August! DOC ’ S PHARMACY 559 KINGS HIGHWAY (Bet. E. 4th & 5th Streets) TEL: 718.627.1145 FAX: 718.627.2193 CURB SIDE SERVICE FREE DELIVERY The only Brooklyn Pharmacy with a proven track record of delivering to your HOME on the Jersey shore on a regular basis . THE ONLY PHARMACY DELIVERING TO DEAL FOR 30 YEARS. The Human Ear