[Hearing loss in a cultural-historical context. Part 1].
BACKGROUND
It is rare to find anything written about hearing loss or its treatment in either representative art or in a medical-historical context in ear, nose and throat journals.


METHODS
Examples dating back over the past 4000 years found in medical-historical, philosophical, and literary documents are presented and commented on.


RESULTS
The ancient Egyptians and Greeks attempted to explain deafness and sought remedies,making use not only of empiric rational means but also magic and religion. Later, in the Middle Ages, examples from Christian iconography are found demonstrating miracle healing of deafness. Education of the deaf was not considered possible from the time of Aristotle to the sixteenth century, but from then on was organized on a large scale utilizing speech with gestures.
Brosch
S
S
Abteilung für Phoniatrie und Pädaudiologie der Abteilung für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde, Universitäts-HNO-Klinik, Universität Tübingen. sibylle.brosch@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Pirsig
W
W
D002835:Christianity; D003638:Deafness / Q000266:history*; D004519:Education, Special / Q000266:history*; D004534:Egypt; D005060:Europe; D049668:History, 15th Century; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D049711:History, Modern 1601-; D006801:Humans; D008273:Magic / Q000266:history*; D012068:Religion and Medicine