Prosper Ménière was born in1799 in Angers, France. Ménière completed 3 years at the Preparatory School of Medicine at the University of Angers before moving to Paris in 1819 to complete his medical studies. He received his doctorate of medicine in 1828 and was appointed as an aide in the clinic of the famous surgeon Baron Dupuytren in the Hôtel-Dieu. The way that Ménière went about educating himself on the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the ear after his appointment to head the Deaf-Mute Institute in 1838 provides insight to his analytic approach. In the years that he served as Director of the Deaf-Mute Institute, Ménière socialized with some of the most prominent members of mid-19th-century France. He was probably as well known a figure in society as he was as a physician. Ménière was a complex man with many different interests and many talents.