Some people have strange beliefs about the ear and its malformations. If you are one of those people, and you are curious about what some people in other times and places may have believed, listen to the authors of this study:
“The Ear and its Malformations: Strange Beliefs and Misconceptions,” Irene E. Gamatsi, Thomas P. Nikolopoulos, and Dimitra E. Lioumi, JPRAS An International Journal of Surgical Reconstruction , vol. 56, 2003, pp. 369–374. The authors, at Thriasion General Hospital, Athens, Athens University, and Nikea General Hospital, Greece, explain:
Although the Bible and the Talmud are very useful sources of Medical History, they have surprisingly very few references to otology. If double ear, pierced ears, small ears, cut off ears and pendulous ears were found in a sacrificial animal, this would render it unsuitable. Moreover, all priests having noticeable malformations of the ears were considered unfit for Temple service….
misconceptions may have led to a conscious and subconscious anxiety and pressure from parents and patients to ENT and plastic surgeons to correct the ear malformations as soon as possible in order to avoid psychological and social problems.
Here is a bit of detail from the study:
