History Corner. An approach to the history of Otology in Italy. From the beginning to the nineteenth century. Part one.

Interest in the ear and hearing has been present since the dawn of humanity, as evidenced by references in Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Hellenistic, and Roman cultures. A significant impetus was provided by the development of anatomical and physiological knowledge, particularly in Italy during the 15th and 16th centuries. But it was only in the nineteenth century that Otology was recognised as an autonomous discipline, with a rich cultural background and highly developed disciplinary content. In this paper, the first part of a more complex project, we focus on the development of Otology in Italy up to the nineteenth century