Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2026

Techniques of Endoscopic Ossiculoplasty
Published on: January 26, 2024
The making of a career: Joseph Toynbee's first steps in otology
1Department of Otolaryngology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, USA. AMudry@ohns.stanford.edu
Abstract:
Joseph Toynbee (1815-1866) is considered one of the fathers of modern otology. He spent his whole life in London, studying and describing the anatomy and pathology of the main diseases of the ear. This paper presents some of the motivations behind Toynbee's decision to specialise in otology, by examining several of his letters published under the signature 'J. T.' in The Lancet between 1838 and 1839. Frustrated by the weakened state of aural surgery in Britain, and by the popularity of several 'quacks aurists' (including John Harrison Curtis, William Wright and Alexander Turnbull), Toynbee insisted that the study of the ear needed to distance itself from quackery and rebuild itself upon a scientific foundation. This paper evaluates several exchanges between Toynbee and Curtis, Wright and Turnbull.
Related Concept Videos
Anatomy of the Ear
Auditory Pathway
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...
The Cochlea
The Auditory Ossicles
The aptly named stapes look very much like a stirrup. The three ossicles are unique to mammals, and each plays a role in...
Tracheostomy Care I: Pre-procedural Steps
Required Equipment
The equipment necessary for tracheostomy care includes:
Hearing
