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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mr. Palau who wrote (220033)	1/19/2002 12:15:21 AM
From: greenspirit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

I really don't know, but check this out from a few clicks around the web... I caught a PBS special the other day about the controversy it's creating in the deaf community. It was very interesting and thought provoking... The Story of the Bionic Ear cochlear.com Where it began The story of the bionic ear starts with Professor Graeme Clark, author of From Silence to Sound. "I grew up with a much loved and loving, deaf father", says Graeme Clark. "As a child, I dreamed that one day I would find a way for deaf people, like my father, to hear. "In 1967, after leaving a career as an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist, I returned to the relative poverty of life as a research student to follow my vision for a bionic ear," he said. Despite a lack of funding and strong opposition from the scientific community, Graeme Clark's courage and persistence, along with that of his team at the University of Melbourne, resulted in the first research implant bionic ear being successfully 'switched on' in 1978. From this simple, multi channel research device, Cochlear and the University of Melbourne, with support from the public and private sectors, developed the world's first, multi-channel implant, the Nucleus 22 . Since then, of the 45, 000 people world - wide with a cochlear implant bionic ear, almost 35, 000 have been fitted with Cochlear's Nucleus® system, including more than 18,000 children. "Cochlear has been the bionic ear market leader for 20 years," said Graeme Clark. "Their success at the highest technological level means we are able to continue our long and fruitful partnership in helping deaf people to hear." Graeme Clark's lifelong quest has resulted in a revolution not only for the hearing impaired but also for their families and friends. Fourteen-year-old Frances Kotek of Nottingham in the U.K was implanted at the age of four. Her mother said, "Frances was born deaf and having a bionic ear implant has not changed that. It never will. But it has enhanced our family life and given Frances a quality of life to do what she wants to in future - not what others feel a deaf person is capable of." "Frances is good at sport. She swims and horse rides. She does drama and has spoken to the school assembly. To many parent's that's nothing special but to us its years of growth in maturity and confidence that we would have found hard to believe possible before she had an implant." Professor Clark's own father, Colin Clark, who is now in his 90's said, "I am thrilled to bits to have lived to be able to see my son's childhood dream to help deaf people come true. It is wonderful for my wife and I to see that through his sheer determination, his work has led to people with implants being able to hear the sounds of voices, wind in the trees, and even the traffic noises. Through my own experience of deafness, I am aware that you suffer a great loss as it isolates you from the community. Hearing again allows you to mix on more equal terms. Good on you mate". Professor Graeme Clark is Laureate Professor of Otolaryngology and Director of the Bionic Ear Institute. Visit their website at bionicear.com.au. If you or someone you love is considering a cochlear implant the book "From Silence to Sound, the story of the bionic ear" by Professor Graeme Clark is a must read. From Silence to Sound takes readers through the more than 20 years of engineering and medical research conducted by Graeme Clark and colleagues at the Bionic Ear Institute and at Nucleus Ltd (the parent company of Cochlear limited) in Australia which eventually lead to the development of the Nucleus "bionic ear" cochlear implant. The book offers a fascinating account of how one man's drive to find a "cure" for his own father's deafness lead to the development of the technology which today provides the joy of hearing to over 35,000 Nucleus recipients. To purchase Professor Graeme Clarke's book Sounds from Silence on line click here. Offer for Cochlear Implant Candidates in the USA: We are offering free limited edition autographed copies of "From Silence to Sound, the story of the bionic ear" to US cochlear implant candidates. Due to our limited supply this offer is only being made to candidates - individuals considering a cochlear implant for themselves or for a family member. This is a limited time offer available while supplies last. This offer is only available to US residents. To register for your free copy of From Silence to Sound please click here.

To: Mr. Palau who wrote (220033)	1/19/2002 1:08:04 AM
From: greenspirit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

I've done a little research and here's what I've come up with. It looks like the leader is an Australian company called 'Cachlear LTD'. They trade on the Australian stock market. COCHLEAR LTD This company supplies about two thirds of the world market in cochlear implants for profoundly hearing impaired people. Almost half of the implant recipients are children. Annual sales are over $144 million with a distribution and service network covering almost 60 countries. Whilst some in the deaf community reject the Cochlear technology, AEI's Directors believe the positive aspects make the technology worthwhile in providing choice to adults and to parents with children having profound hearing impairment. cochlear.com In the U.S. market, one company seems to dominate. bionicear.com They performed Rush Limbaugh's surgery. Here's a news item from their website. cochlearimplant.yellowbrix.com They appear to be a privately held company.