Subject: Re: Thompson's "On Binaural Audition" From: "Richard F. Lyon" <dicklyon@xxxxxxxx> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2015 11:10:59 -0800 List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>--94eb2c07fa50728a590523a7a799 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable It turns out these papers are free online in Google Book search, which is where HathiTrust got their copy that a reader kindly sent me. 1877: On Binaural Audition: https://books.google.com/books?id=3DDVUEAAAAYAAJ&pg=3DPA274#v=3Donepage&q&f= =3Dfalse 1878 Part II: https://books.google.com/books?id=3D_ZpJAQAAMAAJ&pg=3DPA383#v=3Donepage&q&f= =3Dfalse 1881 Part III: https://books.google.com/books?id=3D-hlKAQAAMAAJ&pg=3DPA351#v=3Donepage&q&f= =3Dfalse There are so many references to them that it's hard to find them in Google Book Search. Also OCR errors don't help (like Sylvantis). Restricting the search date range sometimes helps, but it's still sporadic whether they get found or not. Very odd. Dick On Sun, Nov 1, 2015 at 1:59 PM, Richard F. Lyon <dicklyon@xxxxxxxx> wrote: > Three people sent me copies and I've sent copies to 4 people who requeste= d > them. > These are definitely in the public domain in the US at least (or so the > cover page states), > so if anyone else wants a copy, just ask me. > > I was particularly interested because of what Wilson and Myers said in > 1908 about the "unwelcome hypothosesis" that phase could be compared > centrally: > "... Thompson concluded that under the conditions of binaural hearing > above described, the tone-stimulus is transmitted along each auditory ner= ve > to some common cerebral centre and that at this centre the beats arise. B= ut > this and the following interesting fact, also observed by Thompson, can b= e > explained without recourse to such an unwelcome hypothesis, if we suppose > that each tone is transmitted by bone conduction to the opposite ear and > that the beats heard are due to the play of the two series of vibrations = of > different frequency on one and the same sense organ" > > I wondered if Thompson really proposed such an "unwelcome hypothesis", a > central comparison of waveforms from the two sides. What I find it that = he > rather carefully danced around the idea, suggesting it but not saying it, > and trying to rule out bone conduction, in 1877: > > "5. It is not easy to explain why interference-beats should thus occur > in the simultaneous individual action of the two ears, while combinationa= l > tones (difference-tones) are inaudible. There is in the case of the > auditory nerves, or portio mollis, no decussation like that of the optic > nerves; the former do not intersect after leaving the fourth ventricle, i= n > which they have their common origin, and from which they diverge ri ht an= d > left. _ There is in health a possible communication between the ears acro= ss > the pharynx, through the Eustachian tubes. Moreover the bone of the skull > itself is capable of conveying sonorous tremors, which might account for > both ears hearing a sound entering by one only. In either of these latter > cases, however, there would be no reason why combinational tones should n= ot > be equally audible in binaural as in monaural audition; so that we are > driven to the hypothesis that any means of comparison which may exist in > the nerve systems of the ears exists deep-seated in the actual structure = of > the brain. This may be the reason why dissonances are in binaural auditio= n > so excessively dis agreeable, and why even ordinary consonant intervals > become harsh. They evoke a discontinuous sensation when there is no > opportunity of their blending previously to acting upon the sensitive > mechanism of the nerve-structures. The discontinuity of the sensation > produces an intensity of effect exceeding that of a continuous one. Hence > sounds all but in audible themselves may yield, as noted in No. 2, very > well marked beats, enabling the ear thus to detect the most delicate > differences of tone. > > and again in 1878: > "There is no decussation of the auditory nerves, like that of the > optic nerves, to account for a blending of the sensations. The portio > mollis of the right does not intersect or have any commissure with the > portio mollis of the left after leaving the fourth ventricle of the brain= , > from which they originate. This point deserves the attention of anatomist= s > and physiologists." > > He seems to neglect the possibility that the signals could be compared in > the brainstem (where we now know the olivary complex does just that). > > > > > On Sat, Oct 31, 2015 at 9:10 AM, Richard F. Lyon <dicklyon@xxxxxxxx> wrote= : > >> Thanks, got them! >> >> Dick >> >> >> On Fri, Oct 30, 2015 at 4:03 PM, Richard F. Lyon <dicklyon@xxxxxxxx> >> wrote: >> >>> Does anyone have copies of Sylvanus P. Thompson's articles "On Binaural >>> Audition" and its follow-on "Phenomena of binaural audition=E2=80=94Par= t II" in >>> Philosophical Magazine? >>> >>> These would seem to be in the public domain, but the only copies I can >>> find online are for sale at an exorbitant rate: >>> 1877: >>> http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14786447708639338?journalCod= e=3Dtphm16 >>> 1878: >>> http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14786447808639528?journalCod= e=3Dtphm16 >>> >>> Dick >>> >>> >> > --94eb2c07fa50728a590523a7a799 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr"><div><div><div><div>It turns out these papers are free onl= ine in Google Book search, which is where HathiTrust got their copy that a = reader kindly sent me.<br><br>1877: On Binaural Audition: <a href=3D"https:= //books.google.com/books?id=3DDVUEAAAAYAAJ&pg=3DPA274#v=3Donepage&q= &f=3Dfalse">https://books.google.com/books?id=3DDVUEAAAAYAAJ&pg=3DP= A274#v=3Donepage&q&f=3Dfalse</a><br></div><div>1878 Part II: <a hre= f=3D"https://books.google.com/books?id=3D_ZpJAQAAMAAJ&pg=3DPA383#v=3Don= epage&q&f=3Dfalse">https://books.google.com/books?id=3D_ZpJAQAAMAAJ= &pg=3DPA383#v=3Donepage&q&f=3Dfalse</a><br></div>1881 Part III:= <a href=3D"https://books.google.com/books?id=3D-hlKAQAAMAAJ&pg=3DPA351= #v=3Donepage&q&f=3Dfalse">https://books.google.com/books?id=3D-hlKA= QAAMAAJ&pg=3DPA351#v=3Donepage&q&f=3Dfalse</a><br><br></div>The= re are so many references to them that it's hard to find them in Google= Book Search.=C2=A0 Also OCR errors don't help (like Sylvantis).<br></d= iv>Restricting the search date range sometimes helps, but it's still sp= oradic whether they get found or not.=C2=A0 Very odd.<br><br></div>Dick<br>= <br><div><div><br><br></div></div></div><div class=3D"gmail_extra"><br><div= class=3D"gmail_quote">On Sun, Nov 1, 2015 at 1:59 PM, Richard F. Lyon <spa= n dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:dicklyon@xxxxxxxx" target=3D"_blank">dic= klyon@xxxxxxxx</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" st= yle=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div = dir=3D"ltr"><span class=3D""><div><div><div><div><div>Three people sent me = copies and I've sent copies to 4 people who requested them.<br></div>Th= ese are definitely in the public domain in the US at least (or so the cover= page states),<br></div><div>so if anyone else wants a copy, just ask me.<b= r></div><div><br></div>I was particularly interested because of what Wilson= and Myers said in 1908 about the "unwelcome hypothosesis" that p= hase could be compared centrally:<br></div>"... Thompson concluded tha= t under the conditions of binaural hearing above described, the tone-stimulus is transmitted along each auditory nerve to some common cerebral centre and that at this centre the beats arise. But this and the following interesting fact, also observed by Thompson, can be explained without recourse to such an unwelcome hypothesis, if we suppose that each tone is transmitted by bone conduction to the opposite ear and that the beats heard are due to the play of the two series of vibrations of different frequency on one and the same sense organ"<br><br></div>I wondered if Thompson really proposed such an &qu= ot;unwelcome hypothesis", a central comparison of waveforms from the t= wo sides.=C2=A0 What I find it that he rather carefully danced around the i= dea, suggesting it but not saying it, and trying to rule out bone conductio= n, in 1877:<br><br>=C2=A0 "5.=C2=A0 It is not easy to explain why inte= rference-beats should thus occur in the simultaneous individual action of the two ears, while com= binational tones (difference-tones) are inaudible. There is in the case of = the auditory nerves, or portio mollis, no decussation like that of the opti= c nerves; the former do not intersect after leaving the fourth ventricle, in which they have their common origin, and from which they diverge ri ht and left. _ There is in health a possible communication between the ears across the pharynx, through the Eustachian tubes. Moreover the bone of the skull itself is capable of conveying sonorous tremors, which might account for both ears hearing a sound entering by one only. In either of these latter cases, however, there would be no reason why combina= tional tones should not be equally audible in binaural as in monaural audition; so that we are driven to the hypothesis that any means of comparison which may exist in the nerve systems of the ears exists deep-seated in the actual structure of the brain. This may be the reason why dissonances are in binaural audition so excessively dis agreeable, and why even ordinary consonant intervals become harsh. They evoke a discontinuous sensation when there is no opportunity of their blending previously to acting upon the sensitive mechanism of the nerve-structures. The discontinuity of the s= ensation produces an intensity of effect exceeding that of a continuous one. Hence sounds all but in audible themselves may yield, as noted in No. 2, very well marked beats, enabling the ear thus to detect the most delicate differences= of tone.</div><div><br>and again in 1878:<br>=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 "Ther= e is no decussation of the auditory nerves, like that of the optic nerves, to account for a blending of the sensations. The portio mollis of the right does not intersect or hav= e any commissure with the portio mollis of the left after leaving the fourth ventricle of the brain, from which they originate. This point deserves the attention of anatomists and physiol= ogists."<br><br></div><div>He seems to neglect the possibility that th= e signals could be compared in the brainstem (where we now know the olivary= complex does just that).<br><br></div><div><br><div><br> </div></div></spa= n><div><div class=3D"h5"><div class=3D"gmail_extra"><br><div class=3D"gmail= _quote">On Sat, Oct 31, 2015 at 9:10 AM, Richard F. Lyon <span dir=3D"ltr">= <<a href=3D"mailto:dicklyon@xxxxxxxx" target=3D"_blank">dicklyon@xxxxxxxx<= /a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:= 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">= <div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Thanks, got them!<br><br></div>Dick<br><br></div><div= class=3D"gmail_extra"><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote"><span>On Fri, Oct 30,= 2015 at 4:03 PM, Richard F. Lyon <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:d= icklyon@xxxxxxxx" target=3D"_blank">dicklyon@xxxxxxxx</a>></span> wrote:<b= r></span><div><div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0px 0p= x 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><= div><div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Does anyone have copies of Sylvanus P. Thompson&#= 39;s articles "On Binaural Audition" and its follow-on "Phen= omena of binaural audition=E2=80=94Part II" in Philosophical Magazine?= <br><br>These would seem to be in the public domain, but the only copies I = can find online are for sale at an exorbitant rate:<br>1877: <a href=3D"htt= p://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14786447708639338?journalCode=3Dtph= m16" target=3D"_blank">http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/147864477= 08639338?journalCode=3Dtphm16</a><br>1878: <a href=3D"http://www.tandfonlin= e.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14786447808639528?journalCode=3Dtphm16" target=3D"_bl= ank">http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14786447808639528?journalCo= de=3Dtphm16</a><br><br></div>Dick<br><br></div> </div></div></blockquote></div></div></div><br></div> </blockquote></div><br></div></div></div></div> </blockquote></div><br></div> --94eb2c07fa50728a590523a7a799--