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To the Editor.–The two terms, otoneurology and neuro-otology, include the same neurosensory aspect of otorhinolaryngology, which is starting to be established as a diagnostic subspecialty.
The modern version of the two expressions better fits into the description given by E. A. Spiegel and I. Sommer in their famous book Opthalmo- und Otoneurologie (Springer Verlag, Wien, Berlin, 1931), than it does with that in the extensive three volumes of Handbuch der Neurologie des Ohres written by G. Alexander, O. Marburg, and H. Brunner (Urban and Schwarzenberg Verlag, Berlin, Wien, 1924-1926). The latter book is restricted to the diseases of hearing and equilibrim, whereas Spiegel and Sommer include brain centers and function in their textbook. For us, it is important that neuro-otology also includes taste and smell.
At our department, we prefer the term neuro-otology for expressing its close connection to otorhinolaryngology, as otoneurology, in our opinion, labels a subspecialty of neurology.