Dr. William House, who championed the cause of cochlear implants, has died at 89 in Aurora, Oregon. He led the House Research Institute in Los Angeles, famously developing a surgery for an ear disease that had prevented astronaut Alan Shepard from returning to space after being grounded by vertigo. But he was most known for advocating implants at a time when the medical establishment did not share his enthusiasm. He was criticized in 1961 for his published work on his experiments on the device. The FDA eventually approved his implant for use in adults in 1984 - a quarter of a century after he performed his first implant surgery.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Implant surgeon dies
Dr. William House, who championed the cause of cochlear implants, has died at 89 in Aurora, Oregon. He led the House Research Institute in Los Angeles, famously developing a surgery for an ear disease that had prevented astronaut Alan Shepard from returning to space after being grounded by vertigo. But he was most known for advocating implants at a time when the medical establishment did not share his enthusiasm. He was criticized in 1961 for his published work on his experiments on the device. The FDA eventually approved his implant for use in adults in 1984 - a quarter of a century after he performed his first implant surgery.
