Oesophageal speech after laryngectomy (1950)

civilization is upheld by many intangible things and one of its most fundamental supports is also one of the most primitive. on nothing more substantial than a column of air reaching from the lungs to the lips and set in vibration by the vocal cords. The fabric of our daily lives is weird. Without this invisible prop, which we call the power of speech, the structure of life as we know it would crumble. Business would falter. The familiar routine of the housewife would halt. and between parent and child there would be only silence. Yet it does happen sometimes that disease, injury or operation impairs the power of speech or even destroys it altogether. Speech in human beings depends on two things. Firstly, the voice box or larynx which produces sound and secondly the pallet, tongue, cheeks, teeth and lips which mold the sound into speech. The molders by themselves hardly produce any sound. The lyrics is a box-like structure of cartilage lying in the neck behind the Adam's apple and forming part of the air passage from the lungs. Across the larynx are stretched the vocal cords. Sound is produced when these are set in vibration by air flowing up the trachea or windpipe from the lungs. A few moments ago you saw some people in ordinary everyday scenes. A businessman in his office, a housewife shopping and so on. They appeared quite normal and were all in situations in which speech is required. Yet not one of those people has a lyrics or vocal cords. Since they can speak, evidently some alternative source of sound has been discovered. Behind the windpipe lies the gullet or esophagus, the food channel. When food is swallowed, the epiglatus helps to prevent it from entering the windpipe. When the larynx is removed by surgical operation, the trachea is diverted to an opening in the front of the neck called a trachea stone. This serves for breathing through, but it can take no part in producing voice as it is entirely cut off from the mouth. The gullet however still communicates with the mouth and it so happens that it can produce sound as when air or gases escape from the stomach in bion. Then the narrow upper part of the esophagus acts like a false larynx and if this sound can be made at will there is no reason why it should not be molded into speech. This can be done and it is this esophageal speech which our friends in the earlier part of the film are were using. They were swallowing air into the esophagus and then regurgitating it to produce sound. Get Mr. Duffy on the phone please. Learning to speak in this new way takes time of course and the patient's training should commence even before his operation. If he can learn to swallow air and regurgitate it at will, his chances of acquiring a good voice afterwards will be greatly increased. Is that Mr. Ducky? It is. Doctor, could you find time to come to the club this evening and show us how well you can speak? I think so, doctor. If anyone wants to hear me, I can guarantee you an audience. How are you along? Very well indeed. This morning I give a demonstration lasting an hour. So I think I should be in good practice. Good evening. Good evening, doctor. All keeping well. Very well, thank you. I hear you at Wembley lately. Were you pleased with the result? It says we don't. Well, Mrs. Bannon, are you managing your shopping quite well? Yes, I aren't any trouble. Have you seen your daughter in London lately? Yes, she was here in all kinds. All right. Well, Mr. Grim, I understand you've got a dog. Yes, the judge. How do you call him from a distance? Oh, good for bottom. How do you manage that? Oh, just like this. My goodness, that's wonderful. How are you? Very well, thank you. Are you still toucher? Yes. Very good. Are you back at your old occupation? button. You should use your voice a little. Are you putting in plenty of practice, Mr. Ferguson? How long is it now? Is your operation, Mr. Barry? Almost 5 years. Ah, here's Mr. D. Good evening, Mr. Good evening, doctor. Will you please? Thank you. Now, could you just tell us how you went about learning this new way of seeking? Certainly, doctor. I was able to begin my training under the supervision of Mr. Mallister who've been operated on two years previously and used his voice very well. Hearing him speak gave me greater confidence. And under his instruction, I learned to swallow ear and produce sounds in my gut. Now close your lips and swallow ear into your glet as Mr. Mallister showed you and return it as nicely as possible. That was very good, wasn't it? On the eighth day after the operation when my nasal feeding tube was removed up to 10 11 9 there you can actually speak very soon he'll be able to do without his writing pad sister. I'm sure he will. Great. Through continuous practice in the forming of works, I was able to business. 2 and a half months after my operation, I dispensed entirely with my writing pad and was able to drive my car on a journey to the north of Scotland and I spoke to my wife on the telephone every night. Next month, we are putting on the market a small club. I'm sending you a dozen to try out. Thank you very much, Mr. Buffy. We'll be seeing you on your next journey then. Goodbye. Bye. Since then, I have had no difficulty in carrying on my business. And as time goes on, I find I am still improving. As a matter of fact, many of my customers do not know I have no voice box and often ask me if I have langitis. Yes, Mr. Duffy. No doubt you are doing very well. But what about our friend Mr. Dilly over here? He has much more difficult conditions to contend with than you have. Come and let us have a w with him. I understand your line is engineering, Mr. Daily. Yes, doctor. That is correct. I'm in charge of the brain shop. Works and even in these noises around you, you can make yourself happy. Yes, I do some places and perseverance. Of course, I began deleting bedtime stories to my little boy. Then when I went back to work, I always made a point of doing the reading when there were a list of wages to be checked and that sort of thing. This was very good practice. But soon I was able to carry on conversation even the bidding job in spite of the noise and all the usual and grinding that goes on in a factory. I can speak on the words of too. In fact, I go my business very much. I did for my operation and I'm still improving. I owe a great deal to the club members here, Mr. P included. The help must be of great value and was willingly given. I agree with all you say, Mr. Ne, and with the example of the other club members before, no one can fail to develop musical voice. If we can do it, so can they. Quite so. That seems a very good note to end on.