Giuseppe Gradenigo: Much more than a syndrome! Historical vignette

BACKGROUND: Giuseppe Gradenigo (1859–1926), a legendary figure of Otology, was born in Venice, Italy. He soon became a pupil to Adam Politzer and Samuel Leopold Schenk in Vienna, demonstrating genuine interest in the embryology, morphology, physiopathology, as well as the clinical manifestations of ear diseases. In this paper, the authors attempt to highlight the major landmarks during Gradenigo's career and outline his contributions to neurosciences, which have been viewed as looking forward to the 20(th) century rather than awkward missteps at the end of the 19(th). METHODS: Several rare photographs along with many non-English, more than a century old articles have been meticulously selected to enrich this historical journey in time. RESULTS: It was after Gradenigo that the well-known syndrome consisting of diplopia and facial pain due to a middle ear infection was named. However, Gradenigo was much more than a syndrome. Surprisingly, despite the fact that he is considered a pioneer of the Italian Otology of the late 19(th) and early 20(th) century, little is written of his life and his notable achievements in the English literature. CONCLUSIONS: Even though his name lives on nowadays only in the eponym “Gradenigo's syndrome,” his accomplishments are much wider and cast him among the emblematic figures of science. His inherent tendency for discovering the underlying mechanisms of diseases and his vision of guaranteeing quality of services, professional proficiency, respect, and dedication toward the patients is in fact what constitutes his true legacy to the next generations.