Potential Ear Damage in Foetal Audiometry

Six foetal goat kids were stimulated in utero with tones at 500Hz, 1000Hz and 2000Hz. Each tone was presented twice for approximately one minute at 89-97dB SPL at weekly intervals over a period of four weeks shortly before term. The six kids, and a further six who had not been exposed to these stimuli, were given a fatal dose of barbiturate a few hours after birth, and histological sections of the inner ears were prepared. On microscopic examination, in no case was any sound-induced damage found to the hair cells or to the supporting cells of the cochlea.