HEARING defect in the progeny of mothers who suffered rubella in the first trimester of pregnancy is a well-studied phenomenon. To put on a histopathological basis the multitude of clinical observations, two groups of material are available. Elective hysterotomy, upon indication of maternal rubella, yields temporal bones; another group is formed by newborn, older children, or adults with rubella in the maternal history. Both groups offer advantages and disadvantages. Interruption material guarantees correct diagnosis in the mother, removal in the critical period, immediate fixation of the specimen. Material from the newborn may exhibit postrubella malformations, and that from older children or adults possibly is accompanied by audiometric findings. Lancaster 1 traced back the postmortem evidence of the possible role of rubella in deafness, his tabulation comprising the years between 1895 and 1945. Up to 1953, ten pertinent reports could be collected from the literature. In 1959 it could be reported