Harold Schuknecht and pathology of the ear.

BACKGROUND Like Joseph Toynbee and Karl Wittmaack before him, Harold Schuknecht understood that studying pathology was the key to advancing the scientific basis of neurotology. His work elucidated the pathophysiology of the most common neurotologic disorders, including benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, Meniere's disease, and viral neurolabyrinthitis. Schuknecht was a tireless crusader against medical and surgical treatments that he considered to have little scientific foundation. His textbook Pathology of the Ear remains the definitive work in the field.