In relating to others good hearing plays a crucial role for everyone — from the thirty-week-old foetus to the 100-year-old man. Hearing, listening, understanding and communicating depend on the quality of our aural abilities, which suffer alterations during a lifetime.

How are sounds perceived? How do we make sense of them? What happens between the ear and the brain?

How does hearing evolve during a lifetime? What is the normal ageing process? How do we distinguish between alterations, accidents, trauma and disease? Are the causes of some symptoms partially psychological? Can stress and fatigue bring on loss of hearing? What is tinnitus? How do you get rid of it? What are the most common childhood hearing disorders?

Which professions are particularly exposed to hearing problems? Can an aural trauma have serious consequences?

In this practical guidebook, an eminent specialist answers all these questions, addressing the general reader in clear, simple language. He explains what to do to protect one's hearing and how to treat every type of disorder.

From genetics to electronics, the author gives the non-specialist a clear account of all the recent scientific and medical advances.

Bruno Frachet is an otolaryngologist and a university professor. He heads a department at Hôpital Avicenne, in Bobigny, near Paris.