Pilots & Ear infections

[Epee]

It seems that pilots were subject to ear infections moreso than the general population. MvR complained of Lothar, "Not taking care of his ears..."

Why ear infections and what was the care to prevent them?

[Doc]

Originally Posted by Epee

It seems that pilots were subject to ear infections moreso than the general population. MvR complained of Lothar, "Not taking care of his ears..."

Why ear infections and what was the care to prevent them?

The ears are an organ of the body very susceptible to the flight environment. Two types of infections are possible (this is VERY simplified), inner/middle ear and outer ear. Outer ear infections (e.g. like "swimmer's ear") could have been aggravated by the tendency for some pilots to pack the ear with cotton or some other materiel, often impregnated with wax or oil, for hearing protection. Middle ear problems might have been infections, or might have been due to other problems, such as barotrauma, which was misdiagnosed as an infection, though this would have been less common in units with assigned Flight Surgeons, who should have been able to make this diagnosis. Barotrauma is the problem which occurs when the eustachian tube is closed off and cannot serve as a pressure relief valve for the middle ear to accomodate the pressure changes in the middle ear which occur with altitude changes. The Eustachian tube is a small tissue tube between the middle ear and the oropharynx. If the distal end of it is swollen (usually due to a viral infection or sinus problems), air may be able to exit the middle ear on ascent, but not be able to equalise on descent (sort of a one-way valve effect). This causes what is called "ear block", and can result in pain, rupture of the eardrum, bleeding inside the ear, and rarely in secondary infection. The US Medical publication "Air Service Medical" notes that "the majority of individuals who have trouble with their ears are troubled because of a postnasal and Eustachian tube Catarrh" (i.e. infection or irritation which closes off the distal end of the Eustachian Tube).

So, the basic answer to your question is: on the one hand, many pilots stuck things in their ears which caused external ear infections; on the other hand, "minor" sinus or other upper respiratory infections which would not really bother an infantry man can cause significant disability to aviators. Thus, while an infantry man could just "shrug off" minor viral problems and never even report them, the aviators were taught to really pay attention to potential problems, and to try to ventilate the middle ears through the Valsalva maneuver (holding your nose and trying to "pop" your ears by blowing) prior to and following flight. Thus, minor problems would have been noted and reported at a higher rate than in ground-bound personnel. I have never seen any real documentation of a higher rate of actual middle ear infections not associated with barotrauma in aviators of this period than in ground personnel. Doc

[Gregvan]

Thanks for that detailed explanation, Doc!

As an aside, both Ernst Udet and Eddie Rickenbacker were sidelined for some time with nasty ear infections during the war. In both cases, IIRC, it at first seemed doiubtful that they could even return to flying - but both obviously did so.

In the well-known motion picture film of Goering in the cockpit of his red/white Fokker D.VII (just after landing) he first removes his goggles, facemask, helmet, and then pulls earplugs out of both ears.

Just FYI.

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Hi Epee:
Twice I have had head colds stuffup sinus etc, and went on business and as Doc said, The first one was a short flight without pressurized cabin. I was able to stabilize my ears acending, it was a little painful, Upon reaching Seattle and descending the pain was extremely painful, I was continually working my jaw as if chewing nothing worked until my ear drum ruptured. Two days later I had to fly back to Oakland. When I got home, I went to an eye, ear and throat specialist. It took a bunch of visits to rectify the ruptured ear drum. After that, I would not fly until my cold was gone and my ears were functional. The second one was a pressurized cabin, pressurized at 8000ft. After awile I was able to clear my ears by yawning and chewing, again it was painful but I was able to stabilize my ears by holding my nose and creating a pressure in my mouth an throat, as my ears cleared it made a squealing sound in my head.
The object is don't fly with a head cold. And don't make rapid descents.
Merry Christmas Epee,
Dan-San

[Epee]

A very Merry Christmas to you too Dan!

[Barrett]

The mother of a distant relative worked in Paris during TGW. One of her hospital patients (with mastoiditis or something) was EVR Himself. She described him as one of the most cantankerous males she ever met. Her son (my cousin) commanded an A-4 squadron during The Vietnam Thing and shrugs: "Hey, he was a fighter pilot!"