It's possible I would rather be partially deafened than do what Dr. Brown-Séquard did ... for science.

Oscillatory Thoughts: My Scientific American post: "What bats, bombs, and sharks taught us about hearing": 

Generic "Mad Scientist" via horror-movies.ca

They partially deafened themselves. For science!

If you're not familiar with what Dr. Brown-Séquard did, and there's probably no reason you would be, you can google it. (My tags on this post can be clues as to whether you wish to proceed.)