2 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 93 



in a white female. In a woman of 40 who died of apoplexy and whose 

 skull showed asymmetry, " the right external meatus was nearly 

 closed, except for a vertical fissure hardly as broad as a line, by a 

 bubblelike bony growth proceeding from the posterior and upper side." 

 The interior of the exostosis was cancellous; and no connection was 

 found between its cellular spaces and those of the mastoid. 



In the thirties of the last century these bony growths in the ears 

 were evidently repeatedly encountered by Kramer, who does not, 

 however, clearly differentiate them from poly]is. Kramer ( 1837) , says, 

 speaking of polypoid conditions: 



These granulations may be either soft, spongy, of a very red colour, vesicular, 

 bleeding readily on the slightest touch, sensitive, covered with copious mucous 

 secretion, pedunculated, or globular ; or they may be broad of base, and be of 

 cartilaginous or almost bony hardness, insensible, bleeding little or not at all, 

 and rather of a pale red colour. (P. 107.) 



One case in particular I cannot avoid here mentioning. A stalactite-shaped 

 growth hung from the superior surface of the meatus, very near the membrana 

 tympani, and was of so remarkable a bony hardness and density, that it was 

 impossible to pierce it even with the sharpest knife. (P. 118.) [This could only 

 have been an ear exostosis.] 



Notwithstanding these early reports, the knowledge of bony growths 

 in the ears lags until the middle of the nineteenth century. Von 

 Rokitansky (1864) lays a broad foundation for the knowledge and dif- 

 ferential diagnosis of exostoses, hyperostoses, and osteophytic ex- 

 crescences of human bones. Toynbee (1855-60) reports nine cases of 

 ear tumors from his practice and discusses ably the whole subject of 

 these exostoses. Von Troeltsch ( 1 86-2-8 1 ) gives due attention to bony 

 growths of the ear, to be followed by Bonnafont ( 1865-68) and others. 

 Beginning with 1864, these conditions commence to assume also an 

 anthropological importance. 



blasenformigen Knochenauswuchs von der obern und hintcrn Seite her, bis zu 

 einer in der Mitte kaum linien breiten senkrechten Spalte verschossen. Dieser, 

 einer knochernen Gehorblase der Thier ahnliche, Knochenauswuchs war durch 

 eine Rinne von den iibrigen Theilen des Schlafknochen geschieden, ihnen ganz 

 zelligt ; doch fanden wir keine Verbindung dieser Luftzellen niit denen des eigent- 

 lichen Zitzenfortsatzes ; der Gehorgang wurde durch ihn in der Mitte seiner 

 Lange noch mehr zusammengedriickt, als bey seinem Eingang, doch erhielt er 

 gegen die Trommelhohle zu wieder seine gewohnliche Weite. Die Substanz des 

 Knochenauswuches selbst war gesund, so wie inneren Theile des Gehorganges 

 waren." 



