Chapter 49 - 48 Reset
"Can it, can it be cured?" Yong Hongzhong asked, a mixture of surprise and joy in his voice. He had been tormented by this mysterious ailment that caused dizziness whenever he squatted, leaving him mentally and physically exhausted. To avoid ridicule, he had deliberately maintained a ramrod-straight posture while standing and sitting. But every night, when he lay down in bed, he still suffered from nausea, sometimes even vomiting.
Li Ang nodded calmly. "Hmm."
"Doctor Li, what illness does my lord truly have?" Yong Hongzhong’s personal old servant asked respectfully, his form of address changing from "Young Master" to "Doctor."
𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. Or, in other words, canalithiasis. Li Ang silently recited the answer in his mind.
As vertebrates, humans maintain balance during movement primarily due to balance-regulating organs in their ears. This organ system is composed of three canals and two sacs. The three canals—the anterior, posterior, and horizontal semicircular canals—are responsible for sensing the head’s angular movements. The two sacs are the utricle and the saccule. Within the structure of these sacs are calcium carbonate crystals, resembling small stones or chalk dust; hence, they are also called "ear stones." These ear stones are usually embedded within the sacs, aiding them in sensing the head’s acceleration and transmitting positional signals through nerves to the central nervous system. It is because of these canals and sacs that humans can "sense" their balance and gravitational state, preventing falls on flat ground or sensations of the world spinning.
However, if for some special reason the ear stones dislodge from the sacs, a chain reaction occurs: the dislodged ear stones float within the endolymph of the inner ear. When the person’s head position changes, these ear stones can abnormally stimulate the hair cells in the semicircular canals. This causes the canals to send incorrect signals to the brain, inducing intense vertigo in the individual. Canalithiasis primarily affects middle-aged individuals, with a slightly higher incidence in women. Potential causes include head trauma, vigorous exercise, chronic sleep deprivation, or middle and inner ear surgeries.
𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
Just now, Li Ang had first ruled out Meniere’s disease and migraines through physical examination and questioning. Subsequently, he employed the Dix-Hallpike maneuver. By supporting Yong Hongzhong’s head and swiftly guiding him to lie back face-up, he caused the ear stones to contact the semicircular canals, inducing a vertiginous reaction. This finally led to the diagnosis of posterior semicircular canal canalithiasis.
(Posterior semicircular canal canalithiasis means the ear stones have migrated to the posterior semicircular canal. When this occurs, the Dix-Hallpike maneuver only causes nystagmus when the patient’s head is turned to the affected side while they are lying down; the healthy side will not exhibit nystagmus. In contrast, with anterior semicircular canal canalithiasis, nystagmus would occur on both sides.)
Of course, explaining these processes to the people present was not going to be easy.
Humans rely on stones in their ears to perceive their own position? That’s truly too inconceivable.
He recalled from his Otherworld memories that doctors had discovered canalithiasis by 1921. However, it wasn’t until 1980 that a doctor named John Appley realized that dislodged ear stones were the cause and began treating patients with repositioning maneuvers. In the interim, doctors "cured" canalithiasis by severing the vestibular nerve, which unfortunately resulted in the patient’s loss of hearing and balance. Moreover, even after John Appley proposed that repositioning maneuvers could cure canalithiasis, his findings were not widely accepted. Instead, he faced exclusion and mockery from his peers, and was even subjected to legal accusations of practicing medicine unlawfully.
Li Ang’s mind raced. It would be difficult to convince the people before him that their ability to sense gravity and positional changes was due to stones in their ears. Even if he managed to convince them, he had no evidence. Instead, he might arouse suspicion that he had secretly engaged in something as shocking as dissecting human bodies.