April 19, 2021

Did You Hear About This One?


Did You Hear About This One?
"Did you hear that? I think (your ear bone) is breaking up." Jafar Ahmed, unsplash.com 

Doctors at the Sverzhevky Research Institute of Otorhinolaryngology (the scientific term for the study of the ear, nose, and throat) in Moscow were able to perform surgery and heal a man with a broken bone in a most unusual spot— inside his ear!

The 55-year-old patient came into the hospital complaining of ear pain and hearing loss in a single ear. After a thorough analysis, doctors were able to determine that the man had broken the hammer bone inside his ear,  one of the smallest bones inside the human body.

This particular bone is connected to the eardrum and is responsible for carrying vibrations that allow for sounds to be heard. Doctors performed the minuscule surgery in full, and the patient is on track to make a full recovery. Injuries like this are very rare, making up only two percent of all inner ear injuries. 

Evidently, prior to this the man was swimming and got water trapped in his ear. In an effort to remove it he did what most of us would do and stuck his finger inside his ear. This was what caused the bone damage and eventual hearing loss.

Luckily, a bear did not step on his ear (as the popular Russian idiom goes).  

Injuries like this can also occur when an individual removes their earbuds or if one sneezes while plugging their nose and closing their mouth. Just another reminder from us at Russian Life not to push cotton swabs all the way up your ear when cleaning!  

 

 

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Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
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This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

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