People with hereditary hearing loss must undergo multiple genetic tests for doctors to determine the exact cause. Testing for each possible genetic cause is expensive, time consuming, and often inconclusive.

The manuscripts, dating back to the 1500s, live in their original bindings. Given their age, these unspoiled specimens are a lovely find, with words beautifully written in either Latin or Italian on thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin, or goatskin.