“Serving as a Scientist in God’s World”

by

Professor Graeme Milbourne Clark AC, FAA, FRS, (Hon) FRCS

This was an ISCAST*-CASE** Lecture, given on Mon 17th Sept., 2012 at 7.30 pm in the Main Common Room of New College at the University of New South Wales.

This pdf file includes a copy of the PPT slides used by Professor Clark in his lecture and kindly provided by him. The slides (6 per page), which follow, are intended to be used in conjunction with the mp3 audio recording of the lecture.

*ISCAST – Christians in Science and Technology (http://iscast.org/) **CASE – Centre for Apologetic Scholarship and Education (http://case.edu.au/)

The mp3 recording starts with an introduction by the Chair of ISCAST (NSW), Emeritus Professor Peter Barry, which had followed a welcome by the Master of New College, Professor Trevor Cairney. It is available from the ISCAST website. While the many audio and audio-visual clips are quite audible, the playback volume may need to be temporarily turned up for the duration of some clips during playback.

A Brief Biosketch of Professor Clark: Graeme Clark led the research that resulted in the first clinically approved multiple-channel cochlear implant, providing speech understanding in profoundly deaf people. His basic research was also crucial in establishing this could be achieved safely, including a minimal risk of meningitis. It thus became the first sensory-neural prosthesis to effectively bring electronic technology into functional relationship with the central nervous system and human consciousness. His research also established that the multiple-channel implant provided effective speech perception and language in profoundly deaf children, and it was thus the first major advance in helping these children communicate in the last 250 years. Further detailed biographical information about Professor Clark may be found in a pdf file available on the link: http://ict4lifesciences.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Graeme-Clark_online.pdf

An abstract of the lecture follows on the next page

Lecture Abstract: “As a 10year old I developed a strong desire to restore hearing in people like my deaf father, and developed a passion for science after I read the lives of Louis Pasteur and Eve Curie. Then in my first year in Medicine at the University of Sydney I had a serendipitous experience of Jesus, which I had to test in my daily life to see if it was real for me. Then while returning to Australia as a ship’s surgeon I thought I had appendicitis and would have to remove my appendix at sea. This was the first time that prayer became a strident necessity.

On returning to Australia I established myself as a cosmetic nasal surgeon, but looking into nooks and crannies aggravated a high jumping injury and my prayers for healing were answered in an unexpected way. I had the opportunity to do a PhD in neurophysiology with a focus on electrical stimulation of auditory brain pathways. But leading scientists said that speech understanding with electrical stimulation was impossible.

Nevertheless my main research focus was: What can electrical stimulation with a cochlear implant tell us about brain function and human consciousness?” and “How can it alleviate Severe Sensory Neural Deafness?

To answer these questions I carried out our first multi-channel cochlear implant operation in 1978. How could one overcome the bottle –necks for the coding of sound by electrical stimulation? Would multi-channel intra-cochlear electrical stimulation be safe? What signals could be coded with electrical stimulation for speech understanding? Would the formant coding strategy benefit other people and would the memory for speech sounds be retained in people after long periods of deafness? How well were the speech features coded with this strategy and what other features be transmitted through the electro-neural bottle-neck? Could the benefits of electrical stimulation of two ears or with a hearing aid on one side give better hearing in noise and sound localization? Could people deafened early in life develop age appropriate language?

This journey has been more rewarding than I could ever have imagined, and it was shared with wife Margaret, colleagues and industrial partner Cochlear.”

For further information about ISCAST and its future activities, please see the website: www.iscast.org and look at shortly coming events on the Home page or go to the Events page for all listed events.

The slides follow

Belief, Bioengineering & The Bionic Ear:

Ephphatha – be Opened

Schiller – Ephphatha Wood Cut - 1962© GClark/NLA

1944 Deaf Father in Pharmacy – Camden NSW

Graeme Clark with Father 19981945

© GClark/NLA

Inspiring Scientists- Louis Pasteur

1953Prosectors Anatomy University of Sydney

© GClark/NLA

Graeme Clark’s Bible 1952

© GClark/NLA

Cardiac Surgery –RNS Hospital 1959

© GClark/NLA

Graeme & Margaret Married Sydney 1961

© GClark/NLA

Sea Sick Great Australian Bite

© GClark/NLA

Honeymoon Scotland, Ireland & England1962

© GClark/NLA

© GClark/NLA

Throat , Nose & Ear Hospital, London 1962 1964

© GClark/NLA

Surgeon, Shaw Savill Line

Egypt 1964

© GClark/NLA

Dr Bill Hawse: Ceylon for Borneo Evangelical Mission1964

© GClark/NLA

© GClark/NLA

Margaret and first born daughter -Sonya1964

© GClark/NLA

Stress/Strain in the Nasal Bones and Septum1966

© GClark/NLA

The Cantilever Support for the NoseRhinoplasty –Hump Removal

© GClark/NLA

Blair Simmons Multi-electrodeConnector

1966 An Early Attempt to Produce Hearing by Electrical Stimulation of the Inner ear

© GClark/NLA

Advice - from Eccles –Nobel Laureate

1966 Graeme & Margaret leaveMelbourne for Sydney

© GClark/NLA

University of Sydney:The Department of Physiology

Lindsay AitkenLindsay Aitken

Graeme ClarkGraeme Clark

1967- 69

© G Clark /NLA

Graeme Clark – Nasal bone research 1967

© GClark/NLA

Graeme Clark’s MS Thesis University of London

Prof Tony Wright

Royal College of Surgeons London

lark /NLA

“Direct stimulation of the auditory nerve fibres with resultant perception of speech is not feasible”

(Lawrence 1964)

Cochlear Implant: Climate of Opinion

Auditory NerveAuditory Nerve

MastoidMastoid

BrainBrainMiddle

EarMiddle

Ear

Cochlea(Inner Ear)Cochlea

(Inner Ear)

Fluid canalsFluid canals

Organof

Corti

Organof

Corti

Apical(Low frequency)

Apical(Low frequency)

Basal(High frequency)

Basal(High frequency)

Outer, Middle & Inner Ear

© GClark/NLA

ark /NLA

Temporal Frequency Coding

Auditory Brainstem Action Potentials

500Hz Sound Wave

Clark (1969)

Cochlea and Auditory Nerves

Electrode Brain

G Clark /NLA

1967 Colin Dunlop’s auditory neurophysiology laboratory

Angela Dulhunty BSc Hons

Colin Dunlop

lark /NLA

Rate of Electrical Stimulation & Auditory Brainstem Response

Cat Brainstem Field Potentials

Clark (1969)

1 pulse/s 300 pulses/s

50μV1ms

N

1967-69

ark /NLA

Place Frequency Coding

Cochlea

20 kHz10 kHz

5 kHz

AuditoryCortex

2 kHz

2 5 10 20

Brain

Multiple Electrode Cochlear Implant

Skin

Speechsignals

Nervesignals

Radiowaves

Cochlearimplant

Speechprocessor

© GClark/NLA

1969Application: Chair at University of Melbourne

© GClark/NLA

Lab (mortuary)OfficeTechnical 1970

The First Department of Otolaryngology - RVEEH

© GClark/NLA

Matthew 5:44

43You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.

© GClark/NLA

Press interview with Graeme Clark - 1973

Promotional Film for Telethon 1973

© GClark/NLA

1 Thessalonians 5:17

15See that noone repays another with evil for evil, but always seek for that which is good for one another and for all men; 16Rejoice always; 17pray without ceasing; 18in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

© GClark/NLA

Sir Reginald Ansett, 1973

ATV 0 Nerve Deafness Telethon 1973-76

Graeme Clark Appeals in the City

© GClark/NLA

Bionic Ear constructed with

Valves Transistors

Radio Valve

Transistor

Silicon Chip

© GClark/NLA © GClark/NLA

Silicon Chip Design 1976

1977 Donald Mackay – Head of epartment

Keele University 1976

Mould of human cochlea1975

© GClark/NLA

1977

© GClark/NLA

Mechanical principles for cochlear implant electrode

Minnamurra Beach NSW

Turban shell

The University of Melbourne’s Prototype Receiver-Stimulator

Aerials

Data

Power

1977-78

© GClark/NLA

1978

© GClark/NLA

Multi-channel Cochlear Implant

GClark

First Multi-channel Implant Operation: G Clark and B Pyman

1978

© GClark/NLA

First Patient1st Test Session1978

©G Clark/NLA

© G Clark Foundation/NLA

Second Patient – Deaf for 13yrs Operation 17th July & test 7th -14th August

1979

© GClark/NLA

Rod first uses the wearable speech processor to talk with wife

1979

© GClark/NLA

Isaiah 42:3

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.2He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.3A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;

© GClark/NLA © GClark/NLA

University of Melbourne’s Cochlear Implant Produced by Nucleus/Cochlear Pty Ltd 1982

© GClark/NLA

Graham Carrick

George Watson

Lorna Lewis Lionel Robinson

Jennifer Dawson Cheryl Sheehan

Graham Carrick First Hears 1982 Graham Carrick Understands Speech1983

Nucleus “Mini” Receiver-Stimulator 1985-

© GClark/NLA

© G Clark Foundation/NLA

First Implant Children 1985-86

Scott10 Years of age 1985

Bryn5 Years of age 1986

© G Clark Foundation/NLA

Bryn at early training session 1986

© G Clark Foundation/NLA

U.S. Food and Drug

Administration Approval

for children 2 to 17 years

1990

Cochlear Implant Benefit in Severely Deaf Child

John Polkinghorne FRS – Professor Physics Cambridge University & Anglican Clergyman

© GClark/NLA

mon Conway Morris FRS- Professor aeobiology Cambridge University 2002

Francis Collins: The Language of God