Overcoming Fierce Opposition

The medical community's initial resistance was intense and deeply rooted in professional skepticism.

• Deaf community feared destruction of deaf culture

• Surgeons worried about brain damage risks

• Audiologists questioned effectiveness vs. hearing aids

• FDA required extensive safety and efficacy studies

• Insurance companies refused coverage

"They said I was going to scramble people's brains, that I was some kind of mad scientist."

— William House, reflecting on early criticism

It took nearly 30 years from first experiment to FDA approval for widespread use