Credit: ©The Royal Society
    Image number: RS.11808

    Portrait of a child of J.M.C

    Date
    1880
    Object type
    Library reference
    American Journal of Otology_Microtia_Figure 2
    Material
    Technique
    Dimensions
    height (print): 93mm
    width (print): 59mm
    Subject
    Content object
    human body
       > ear
    Description
    Head and shoulders portrait, seated and in profile, of a young girl of with microtia, an underdevelopment (from birth) of the pinna, or outer ear. The sitter faces to the right as viewed, dressed in a velvet and lace dress, with her hair pinned up.

    One of three medical case studies from the paper ‘Microtia’, by David Hunt, The American Journal of Otology: a quarterly journal of physiological acoustics and aural surgery, edited by Clarence J. Blake, v.3 (1881), pp.3-11.

    The accompanying text describes the patient’s condition: ‘Case II. - Child of J.M.C. There is a general likeness to Case I, but the indentation there mentioned is so deep that it seems as if the malformed organ were reversed and the anterior surface of the auricle presented backward; in other words, the indentation is so deep as to resemble the fossa conchae.’

    The photograph is uncredited, however the author states that ‘By the courtesy of Dr. Clarence J. Blake, I have been afforded the opportunity of inspecting photographs of three cases of malformation of the auricle.’

    Dr Clarence John Blake (1843-1919) American physician and ear specialist of Boston; inventor of the ear phonautograph, with Alexander Graham Bell.

    Dr David Hunt (1845-1907) American physician, studied at Harvard University and practised in Boston, Massachusetts.
    Associated place
    <The World>
       > North America
          > United States
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