The patient was referred by his family doctor to a local ear, nose, and throat specialist for his hearing deficit. The physician took the following case history: The patient had been well until age 35 years, when he had suffered a severe case of lobar pneumonia that did not resolve on appropriate penicillin therapy. Further studies showed that he had TB and was treated effectively in a sanitarium. What further inquiries might be made as to the cause of his deafness?