Some degree of involvement of the middle ear is present in practically all upper respiratory infections of infants and small children.1 It therefore becomes evident that an adequate examination of the tympanic membrane and ear canal is of primary importance in pediatrics. Statistical studies have shown that over 30% of ears in which disease is present may have the tympanic membrane totally obscured by wax.2
The removal of ear wax in a sick child who is suffering not unusually from a fair degree of pain is a difficult problem. Removal of wax with a blunt curette is safe only if the child is cooperative, which is rarely the case. Irrigation with warm water is a lengthy and inconvenient procedure, which must be done with great caution in young children since only a little pressure may be enough to rupture an inflamed tympanic membrane. Also, in this procedure, cooperation