Behind the retro auricular groove, hidden by the pinna, on the surface of the mastoid, there is, a bony outgrowth, known by any otorhinolaryngologist worthy of the name, located above and behind the entrance to the external auditory canal in front of the supra meatic fossa: Henle's spine. In this historical note the authors retrace the moment of the dicovery of this primordial relief of otological surgery and the life of its discoverer, the German anatomis Jakob Henle, a true malesrtom which mixes science, art politics, and love.