Dr. Yamakawa was born in Iki Island. In 1938 he published the first description in the world of the temporal bone in Menieres disease. At 35 years of age he experienced sudden hearing loss in the right ear with tinnitus, vertigo and nausea. His hearing unfortunately did not improve and he had no attacks of vertigo.
His hearing was normal on the left. He died suddenly at 88 years of age of acute cardiac heart failure. A histopathological examination of the right temporal bone showed endolymphatic hydrops limited to the apical turn of the cochlea, atrophy of the stria vascularis, loss of spiral ganglion cells and absence the basal turn of the organ of Corti. The tectorial menbrane was normal throughout. The left temporal bone was normal.
