To the
members of the "Societas Oto-rhino-laryngologica
warning on “noise pollution”
“The “Societas Oto-rhino-laryngologica
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am especially pleased to welcome you on the
occasion of the convention which the
“Societas Oto-rhino-laryngologica
In offering you my cordial greeting, I cannot
but recall the prestigious contribution of knowledge and technique made by your
meritorious international institution from its very beginning. The importance and nobility of the human
organs which are the object of your study and treatment, along with the
progress made in the knowledge of the remote and proximate causes of their
dysfunction which has such an influence on the general, physical and
psychological condition of the individual, are further reason to support and encourage your research involvement, which has made it
possible to refine many promising methods of treatment. Neither can we
overlook, for some areas of your specialization, applications in the field of plastic surgery, which emphasizes the
importance of the location of the organs which you treat, the head, the center
of the synthesis of personal individuality.
Today, more than ever, diseases of the hearing,
nasal and vocal apparatus take on
especially serious dimensions in view of
extraordinary forms of communication which technological progress has made
possible; in fact, one cannot conveniently take advantage of these if the human
organs involved are not in good condition.
Aware of the decisive advantages
brought to scientific progress and its practical applications for treatment by
the exchange of discoveries, sharing knowledge and combining efforts and
initiatives at the international level, I am happy to express my appreciation
for your convention, and I urge you to continue
on this path of broader and more open sharing.
Quite a few disorders involving the
organs in question are indeed the result of other illnesses, as is shown, for
example, by the relationship of the endocrine glands, the involuntary nervous
system, and the bronchial apparatus. Similar interferences can be seen in the
origin and development of the "allergic" illnesses, so widespread
today also because of the negative effect of environmental problems. Quite a
few of these, when recurring, can develop into illnesses which cause a sense of
solitude, isolation and social marginalization in those who suffer from them.
Such an evaluation must also be made of the consequence of disturbances
affecting hearing and the sense of smell.
It is necessary for the great progress made in
research to fin ever broader form of
application. Today better living conditions and the
contributions of preventive medicine, treatment and rehabilitation have
prolonged life expectancy in many parts of the world. Thus an ever greater number of the elderly not only enjoy a longer life,
but they should also be able to have precise tasks within the community.
It is known that, precisely in advanced age,
hearing, nasal and vocal problems are more
frequent.
Now these problems not only can be prevented in time, but in many cases they
can also be treated effectively. It is necessary for public officials,
scientists and health care workers to contribute, each in their own field, to promoting a new social awareness so that
the many persons who suffer from loneliness, disability or serious limitations
because of the diminished capacity of the organs of hearing, smelling, and
speech, may find new possibilities for personal self-worth through proper care.
Another very interesting aspect is the
contribution which institutions like yours can make
in regard
to the dissemination of accurate
information about the very serious effect on the young generations, and
even on those not yet born, of environmental
pollution, including noise pollution. It creates the risk of significantly
speeding up the natural decline of the functions of the ears, nose and throat.
An erroneous understanding of the progress made in this field of science and a
reductive and manipulated view of medicine tend to relegate to the field of treatment that which, in reality,
pertains to preventive medicine and
to proper health-care education. Much
serious damage could, in fact, be avoided, if health-care information were clearer, more thorough, and
widespread.
In this field the Church intends to give her
concrete contribution, in the awareness that, by correctly using all of his or
her functions, the human being, God's privileged creature, is called to become
fully mature in accordance with the mysterious loving plan of the Creator and
Redeemer.
How could we not marvel at the wonderful
possibilities opened up to the person by these fundamental organs? The Bible
and all of world literature exalts them, because with the voice a person can sing God's praises, express the most
noble sentiments, pray and console; by
hearing, participation is transformed into communion, into the possibility
to receive the message of our brothers and sisters and the sounds of creation;
the most noble and refined sentiments and thoughts lead us to pleasant smells. Limitations on the
exercise of these faculties, on the other hand, show their great value and help
science, which studies their nature and function, to discover all the means
capable of assuring their full use to every human being.
With my hopes that, thanks also to this
convention, new steps can be made in that direction, I invoke the divine
assistance upon all of you, your colleagues and co-workers in every part of the
world; as a pledge of this I cordially impart my blessing.