SFECMAS Bulletins 1952-1954

Between 1952 and 1954, Alfred Tomatis published a series of contributions in the Bulletin de la S.F.E.C.M.A.S. (Société Française d’Études et de Contrôle des Machines, Appareils et Soudures), in the course of his work on audiometry in industrial settings and on occupational deafness.

These texts rank among the earliest documents in his œuvre. They are presented below in chronological order, transcribed in full and accompanied by their facsimiles where available.

Documents in this section

Incidences observed in auricular lesions noted in test-bench personnel and professionals of the voice September 1952

Alfred Tomatis's first text (Bulletin SFECMAS, September 1952): the discovery of the audiometric 'reserve curve' shared by workers invulnerable to noise and by professionals of the voice — the matrix of the Tomatis Effect.

The directing ear July 1953

A founding text by Alfred Tomatis (Bulletin SFECMAS, July 1953) in which he defines for the first time the directing ear and the origin of stammering through trans-cerebral delay, with reference to the delayed-feedback experiments of Bernard S. Lee.

The dynamic audiometer September 1953

A founding text by Alfred Tomatis (September 1953) presenting the dynamic audiometer: an instrument that measures the auditory threshold in the presence of a background noise, restoring the ear to its normal domain of operation. Bulletin de la S.F.E.C.M.A.S., pp. 76-86.

The factory audiometer October 1953

An article by Alfred Tomatis (October 1953) presenting the factory audiometer — a simplified device with seven fixed frequencies (125-8,000 c/s) intended for the rapid screening of occupational deafness in noisy industrial settings. Bulletin S.F.E.C.M.A.S., pp. 87-91.

For information on occupational deafness June 1954

Lecture by Alfred Tomatis of 8 June 1954 to the Fédération Française des Travailleurs sociaux: the nature and measurement of occupational deafness, industrial sound intensities, the four periods of its evolution, and a plea for the factory audiometer.

Auditory selectivity October 1954

An article by Alfred Tomatis (Oct. 1954, Bulletin S.F.E.C.M.A.S.): a definition of auditory selectivity, the audible sound spectrum 40 Hz - 16 kHz, simple and harmonic tones, parallel with visual selectivity, tenor ear vs baritone ear, applications for phoniatrics and audio-phonatory diagnosis.