Howard Payne House, M.D. (1908 - August 1, 2003) was born in Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

. House founded the House Ear Institute

House Ear Institute

The House Ear Institute is a non-profit 501 organization, based in Los Angeles, and dedicated to advancing hearing science through research and education to improve quality of life. Established in 1946 by Howard P...

 in 1946 in Los Angeles, CA, and is often considered to be the father of modern otology

Otology

Otology is a branch of biomedicine which studies normal and pathological anatomy and physiology of the ear as well as its diseases, diagnosis and treatment....

. The House Ear Institute developed the cochlear implant

Cochlear implant

A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing...

 and the auditory brain stem implant.

House perfected many critical otologic surgical procedures, such as the fenestration operation in the 1940s and the stapedectomy

Stapedectomy

A stapedectomy is a surgical procedure of the middle ear performed to improve hearing. The world's first stapedectomy is credited to Dr. John J.Shea Jr. who performed it in May 1956 on a 54-year-old housewife who could no longer hear even with a hearing aid. Significant contributions to modern...

 surgery in the subsequent three decades. He performed more than 30,000 of these procedures restoring hearing to those affected by otosclerosis

Otosclerosis

Otosclerosis is an abnormal growth of bone near the middle ear. It can result in hearing loss.-Clinical description:Otosclerosis can result in conductive and/or sensorineural hearing loss...

.

House treated Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

, James Stewart

James Stewart (actor)

James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...

, Bob Hope

Bob Hope

Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...

, and many other notable figures. His wife's name is Helen and they have three children: Kenneth House, who is a noted psychoanalyst; Caroline House, who is an Olympic swimmer; and John House, who is the current president of the House Ear Institute.