Ádám Politzer was born in Alberti (now part of Albertirsa), near the city of
Budapest, to a well-to-do
Jewish family. He studied
medicine in the
University of Vienna. Some of his teachers belonged to the Second "
Vienna School", including
Carl Freiherr von Rokitansky (1804–1878) and
Josef Skoda (1805–1881) (its founders), as well as
Joseph Hyrtl (1810–1894),
Johann Ritter von Oppolzer (1808–1871), and the physiologist
Carl Ludwig (1816–1895). The last two took interest in Politzer and were influential in his subsequent career. Politzer received his
M.D. in 1859 and started to work in Carl Ludwig's laboratory. His interest since that time was mainly the
physics of the
auditory system. There, he was the first to demonstrate physiologically that the
innervation of the
tensor tympani muscle was by the
trigeminal nerve and that the innervation of the
stapedial muscle was by the
facial nerve. In another series of experiments, Politzer connected two
manometers, one placed in the external auditory canal meatus and another in the
pharynx, in order to study air movements through the
Eustachian tube. In 1861, he published his first results on a new technique based on this knowledge, to treat internal
ear diseases by insufflating the middle ear through the Eustachian tube, which obviated the need of its
catheterisation. This came to be known as
politzerisation. In the subsequent decades, the technique was widely adopted throughout the world, bringing fame to Politzer. In the following year, Politzer travelled to other centers and countries, seeking to increase the depth of his practical training. Thus, he worked consecutively with
Anton Friedrich Freiherr von Troeltsch (1829–1890) and physiologist
Heinrich Müller, in
Würzburg;
Hermann Helmholtz (1821–1894) in
Heidelberg. He also went to Paris, France, to study with
Rudolf Körni,
Prosper Ménière, the "father of physiology",
Claude Bernard (1813–1878) and with physicist
Karl Rudolf König (1832–1901). He also studied
microscopic anatomy of the
labyrinth with
Albert von Kölliker (1817–1905) in Würzburg, and ear surgery with
Joseph Toynbee (1815–1866) in London, England. Returning to Vienna in 1861, Politzer became a professor of
otology at the University of Vienna with the support of von Oppolzer. Two years later, in 1863, he opened a private otological clinic with
Josef Gruber (1827–1900), which soon began to attract patients from all over the world. In 1864 Politzer was allowed by the government to treat indigent patients at the charity hospital as well as in the homes for elderly. He and Gruber received the title of professor extraordinarius in 1870 and were appointed to the rank of a joint directorship to a new clinic in the
Vienna General Hospital, in the next year (the first of its kind in the world). In 1895 Politzer won a full professorship and became the sole director of the clinic in 1889, until 1907. He died 13 years later, in 1920, at the age of 85, celebrated as one of the pioneers of modern otology in the
history of medicine, but unfortunately in a poor financial condition, due to the economic crisis in Austria after the country was defeated in the First World War. == Works ==