Rosenthal and the spiral canal of the modiolus

Abstract

Rosenthal's spiral canal of the modiolus of the cochlea is mentioned numerous times in the literature, but there are few references to both the man who discovered it and the article in which it was first described. Standard medical dictionaries attribute its discovery to the wrong Rosenthal. The correct Rosenthal is identified and his original description is referred to. The possibility of an even earlier description of the canal is discussed. This description links the origins of the electric telegraph and multiple-channel cochlear prostheses.