THE BIONIC EAR

Meet an otolaryngologist!

250,000 people world-wide can now hear thanks to Professor Graeme Clark developing the ‘bionic ear’… but first he had to ask God for help. Designing the cochlear implant baffled him until he was led to pick up a blade of grass and poke it into a turban shell, while holidaying in 1977 at Minnamurra Beach on the Illawarra Coast of NSW. Eureka!

What inspired his career as an ear-nose-throat surgeon?              

As a 10 year old he noticed his pharmacist father, who was hard-of-hearing, shouted at customers: “Speak up!”
How embarrassing.

How does the bionic ear work? The processor behind the ear converts sound to digital code transmitted wireless to the receiver stimulator under the skin, which sends electrical impulses to stimulate the cochlea’s hearing nerve which sends impulses to the brain. 

All thanks to God creating a turban shell and a blade of grass!