Foriegn Sustances in Ear
When an insect has found its way into the ear, place the patient upon the opposite side, and pour sweet-oil into the ear, until the insect becomes visible; then take it out with a small roll of paper or a pair of delicate forceps.
Extraneous bodies, such as gravel, shot, beads, cherry-stones, pieces of wood, peas, pins, etc., are often put into the ear by children. If attended to before they excite inflammation and swelling, they can generally be removed by very slender forceps or buy a hair-pin, the curved end of which has been bent so as to form an obtuse angle, like the heel of a spoon, and to which a handle has been made by sticking the points of the pin into a cork.
Place yourself behind the ear, draw it upwards and backwards with one hand, and at the same time away from the head, that you may look into it as far as possible; dip the instrument into sweet-oil, and pressing the bent part against the back part of the internal ear, push it in till it passes behind and around the object; then lift a little, and the end of the pin will take hold of it from behind, like a spoon, and bring it out. If you cannot succeed in passing the hair-pin behind the object, you may sometimes be able to remove it by means of a small syringe, with a slender nozzle; fill it with warm water, pass the point of the nozzle alongside the object and inject the fluid with moderate force.
If with children, particularly if there is a round object in the ear, it is better to push the hair-pin along the back part of the internal ear; with grown persons it is generally better along the upper surface. When the object is visible it can be seen where best to insert the instrument; but if not visible carefully feel for it. If anything has been wedged into the ear, it may sometimes be removed by a second hair-pin, prepared as above, inserted opposite to the first and both drawn out together. In all the manipulations great gentleness and care must be used, lest the object be pushed further into the canal.
If pain and inflammation of the ear remain, give Arnica, and after a few hours, Pulsatilla. If the inflammation is already very considerable, and the ear-canal so much swelled that nothing can be got out, Pulsatilla is also of service. In some cases, when the children are in great pain, have much fever, speak incoherently, or are delirious, give, if Pulsatilla does not suffice, Belladonna, and afterwards if there is still some pain left, Sulphur
