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Abstract The first modern era researcher of the Eustachian tube (ET) was Bartolomeus Eustachius. He was a 16th century anatomist who taught at the Collagia Della Sapienza in Italy. Eustachius, for whom the ET is named, studied several areas in the human body including the ET (Shampo& Kyle, 1981). Further work was done by Antonio Valsalva. Valsalva was a Professor of Anatomy at Bolognia and is most recognized for his middle ear insufflating maneuver that bears his name. Valsalva was credited for naming the auditory tube, the Eustachian tube and describing its function (Valsalve, 1970). Adam Politzer is probably best known for his contribution to otology and probably considered the greatest otologist of the 19th century. One of his legacies was a hand-held air bag that allowed insufflations of the middle ear space or politzerization. Further therapies developed by Politzer included a primitive middle ear ventilation tube (Danner& Seibert, 2006). Otitis media is the most common reason for child visits to the primary care physician and affects more than 80% of children under the age of 3 years. Annually, more than $5 billion is spent in the United States on otitis media (Gates, 1996). |