[Birth of otology illustrated by original texts]

To be born, to appear, to begin. Though setting the birth of otology in the 19th century may seem a bit pretentious, the texts published at that time are ample proof of the fact. The combined impact of technical, scientific, medical and social factors led to the development of otology as a medical specialty. We discuss these different aspects in this article, illustrating them with extracts from the texts of the era. Once could say that the first half of the 19th century was a period of gestation for otology that was to come into full bloom during the second half of the same century.