Overlay versus underlay tympanoplasty. Part I: historical review of the literature.

The history of otology is the history of the successful treatment of infections of the middle ear and the eardrum. Otologists have sought to restore hearing lost to infections of the eardrum since the 1600s. The development of instruments, techniques, and materials to treat infection is fascinating because of the serendipitous nature of the discoveries and the insight of the discoverers. This historical review describes the history of the treatment of infections of the ear and the development of modern techniques of ear surgery. Two contemporary methods of tympanic membrane repair are then described.

[Nineteenth century physicians against drum perforation]. / Dziewietnastowieczni lekarze wobec perforacji blony bebenkowej.

The trials of "organic" closure of drum perforation are described. The achievements of Adam Politzer, Hermann Schwartze, Joseph Gruber are presented. The first who used term "myringoplasty" was Emil Berthold. The "epochal" method of Wasilij Okuniew and achievements of Beniamin Gomperz are also depicted. The scientific activities of Polish otologists: Ludwik Guranowski and Rafai Spira were presented.

[Nineteenth century physicians against drum perforation. I. The method of "mechanical" closure of drum perforation]. / Dziewietnastowieczni lekarze wobec perforacji blony bebenkowej. I. Metody "mechanicznego" zamkniecia perforacji.

The trials of closure of drum perforation since a long are described. The first, who noticed drum perforation was Astley Paston Cooper. The first, who used artificial ear-drum was Marcus Banzer. The achievements of James Yearsley, Juliusz Erhard Camile Miot, Adam Politzer, Joseph Toynbee and others are presented. The achievements of Polish physicians: Teodor Heiman, Aleksander Zebrowski, Jan Szmurlo, Edmund Modrzejewski, Rafal Spira and others are depicted. The indications and contrinications for artificial ear-drum employment are also described.