Hallowell Davis, 96, an Explorer Who Charted the Inner Ear, Dies
By WOLFGANG SAXON
Published: September 10, 1992
Dr. Hallowell Davis, a pioneer in the physiology of hearing and a former director of research at the Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis, died on Aug. 22 at the Bethesda Dalworth Home in St. Louis. He was 96 years old and until recently had lived in University City, Mo.
At Harvard Medical School in the 1930's Dr. Davis played a pivotal role in the development of the electroencephalograph, or EEG, which measures minute electrical changes in the brain. The first EEG of human brain waves seen in this country was recorded from Dr. Davis's scalp by his students.
He was also known for his physiological studies of the inner ear and the auditory nerve's electrical responses. His studies led to the development of miniature digital computers to measure such responses more precisely. From that, in turn, grew his innovative work on electrical-response audiometry to diagnose hearing impairment in the early stages of infancy.
Dr. Davis's work also contributed to the diagnosis and treatment of schoolchildren regarded as slow learners but whose real problem is caused by poor hearing. Research for Combat Veterans
Dr. Davis was associate professor of physiology and director of the Psycho-Acoustic Laboratory at Harvard when he moved to the St. Louis Central Institute in 1946. At the time, Harvard Medical School and the institute were engaged in research for the Veterans Administration, now the Department of Veterans Affairs, to build better hearing aids for combat veterans who had lost part or all of their hearing.
The institute said Dr. Davis brought to it a new concept of the problems of hearing and deafness. His research combined the scientific methods of electrophysiology, behavioral psychology and electroacoustic engineering in a way that the specialists might complement one another's knowledge and find suggestions for new solutions.
The same interdisciplinary approach was embodied in the textbook Dr. Davis co-edited with S. Richard Silverman, "Hearing and Deafness: A Guide for the Layman," published by Murray Hill Books in 1947. Subsequent editions made it an important tool for students in the new paramedical field of audiology.
While establishing the institute's research department, he also held appointments at the Washington University School of Medicine as professor of physiology and research professor of otolaryngology. He was also a lecturer in the department of speech and hearing.
He reached emeritus status in 1965 but continued as a researcher at the institute for 20 more years with the title of senior scientist. Medical Degree From Harvard
Hallowell Davis was born in New York City on Aug. 31, 1896. He received a bachelor's degree from Harvard College in 1918 and his M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1922. He spent a year in England at Cambridge University, where he became an electrophysiologist while working in the laboratory of Edgar D. Adrian, later Lord Adrian.
Returning to Harvard in 1923, Dr. Davis held various posts in its college and medical school. He was an assistant professor at Harvard College in 1927, when it named him as its first tutor in biochemical sciences.
Dr. Davis was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Gerald R. Ford in 1976. He also received the Gold Medal of the Acoustical Society of America, the Gold Medal Award of Merit of the American Otological Society, the Beltone Institute for Hearing Research Award, and the International Prize of the Amplifon Research and Study Center in Milan, Italy.
He is survived by his wife, Nancy; two sons, Allen Y. Davis of Colorado Springs and Rowland H. Davis of Laguna Beach, Calif.; a daughter, Anna N. Hessey of Bronxville, N.Y.; a brother, Horace; two sisters, Sarah Pope and Esther Brown, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
The Central Institute said he had donated his inner ear to science.