1. A pneumatic otoscopic imaging system comprising: a. a source of light; b. a hand-held otoscope for abutment with an ear canal for directing the light to ear tissue and for collecting scattered light from the ear tissue; c. an interferometer for combining the scattered light from the ear tissue with a reference beam for generating an interferometry signal; d. a pneumatic port coupled to the hand-held otoscope for governing a pressure within the ear canal; e. a pump for varying the pressure within the ear canal; f. one of a pressure sensor and a pump controller for generating a pressure signal; and g. a processor for receiving the interferometry signal and the pressure signal and for generating therefrom a quantitative characterization of the ear tissue under a specified condition of pressure within the ear canal.