The Deaf

This work concentrates on deafness rather than on muteness, treating the two as separate conditions. The writer points out that the organs used for hearing and those used for speech have no anatomical connection, and that they do not affect one another medically. Those commonly described as deaf and dumb are seldom unable to speak: most have fully working vocal organs, and the number who truly cannot speak is too small to matter in the discussion. The source excerpt breaks off mid-sentence, so the rest of the book's argument is not covered here.