The story of the development of civilisation and of humanity is at the base of science, medicine and otology in particular. The evolution of knowledge is better understood by dividing the story into chronological periods. Through primitive, archaic, hellenistic, byzantine, arabian, monastic, scholastic, Renaissance, modern and finally contemporary medicine, otology has progressively found its way. The key to progress is within man, in his conception of life and of the world around him. Otology will be affected by these different trends of thought and will find its place in medicine during the XIX Century, the XX Century being its most prolific period.