[Adam Politzer (1835-1920) and the Eustachian tube]

Adam Politzer is associated with the Eustachian tube via Politzer's manoeuver or politzerization, a technique of middle ear inflation. In 1863, Politzer invented this technique to assure permeability and pressure equilibrium between the middle ear and the nasopharynx. The technique was progressively improved with clinical experiments and intensively discussed by his colleagues including Josef Gruber. To complete the therapeutic possibilities of his technique, Politzer also proposed a new system of tubal catheterization in 1872. At the end of his life, Politzer completed his research, turning back the clock by publishing a biography of the man who gave his name to the tube: Eustachius. In fact, Politzer was the "Eustachius" of the second half of the 19th century and remains for us the man of the middle ear inflation technique.