Medicine: B for Ears

Dr. Grant Selfridge, 76-year-old otologist of San Francisco's Southern Pacific Hospital, is affectionately known to his colleagues as "Little God Damn." Reason: every time he meets a stubborn case of deafness he swears like a trooper. But last week spry, beaming Dr. Selfridge spoke words of honey as he told his colleagues of the San Francisco County Medical Society all about a new cure for deafness.

A common cause of deafness is deterioration of the eighth nerve, which leads to the ear. Five years ago, Dr. Selfridge noticed that most of his deaf patients ate very little food containing vitamin B, essential for healthy nerves. So he tried out vitamin B in tablets, rice bran and injections on over 100 cases of nerve deafness.

After as few as six injections, many young patients could hear more clearly and distinctly, provided they also ate plenty of whole cereals and green vegetables, rich in vitamin B. Older patients needed a longer course of injections, seldom regained their hearing completely.