Citation

McIlwain DS, Gates K, Ciliax D. Am. J. Public Health 2008; 98(12): 2167-2172.

Affiliation

US Army Medical Department Center and School.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2007.128504

PMID

18923117

PMCID

PMC2636536

Abstract

Noise-induced hearing loss has been documented as early as the 16th century, when a French surgeon, Ambroise Pare, wrote of the treatment of injuries sustained by firearms and described acoustic trauma in great detail. Even so, the protection of hearing would not be addressed for three more centuries, when the jet engine was invented and resulted in a long overdue whirlwind of policy development addressing the prevention of hearing loss. We present a synopsis of hearing loss prevention in the US Army and describe the current Army Hearing Program, which aims to prevent noise-induced hearing loss in soldiers and to ensure their maximum combat effectiveness.

Language: en