About the Department

1907
Negotiations were completed for union of The Starling Medical College and The Ohio Medical College into the Starling-Ohio Medical College. Later, the Starling-Ohio Medical College merged with The Ohio State University.

As the legislation for the merger was prepared, all went well but the bill was unexpectedly amended: to the surprise of the faculty there were two medical colleges in The Ohio State University - a College of Homeopathic Medicine had been added. This latter college was discontinued in 1922.

1914
The first professor and chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery was Dr. John Edwin Brown, born in 1864. He practiced both ophthalmology and otolaryngology and was Professor of Otology and Rhinolaryngology at the earlier Ohio Medical University and later at The Ohio State University College of Medicine where he was also head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology beginning in 1914.

Dr. Brown became President of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and lived 103 years. He was honored on the occasion of his 100th birthdate by Howard House, who presented him with a certificate describing him as the only true centurion among living otolaryngologists. It is interesting that Dr. Brown served as a physician to the Ohio Penitentiary since our residents now service that institution.

1923
Hugh G. Beatty, M.D., became head of the department in 1923. Dr. Beatty was an influential member of the Columbus medical community, a member of The American Laryngological Association, and was instrumental in founding The American Board of Plastic Surgery. He was particularly interested in head and neck surgery and bronchoesophagology and plastic surgery with special reference to the repair of cleft lip and palate.

Dr. Beatty retired in 1951 at age 70, but continued to practice for over 20 years. He was followed as chairman of the department by Russell G. Means, M.D., who held the position only one year. Dr. Means was succeeded by Edward Harris, M.D., who was chairman until his death in 1961.

1937
An approved two-year combined residency in EENT was established which gradually expanded to a three-year separate residency in 1947. This residency has continued with the addition of a year of general surgery training and the addition of a fourth year of otolaryngology, for a total of five postgraduate years.

1941 -
William J. Miller, M.D., joined the staff in 1941, Herbert Emswiler, M.D., already being on the staff. Also joining the staff during the years of World War II were Daniel Sanor, M.D., and shortly after came Drs. Richard Wehr, Trent Smith, John Lowery, William Krech, J.C. Deishley, Carl Roth, Jerry Arrington, and Irene Jasys.

Among those who completed their residency in this department and went on to join the staff were Drs. John Arthur, Trent Smith, John Gersten and Herbert Birck. Other faculty members were Michael Paparella, M.D., (1964-1967), Victor Vermeulen, M.D., (1964-1972) and Daniel Lavignia, M.D., (1973-75).

For a number of years, otolaryngologists in neighboring cities such as Gallipolis, Newark, Marion, Springfield, and Lancaster were appointed to the staff and more recently this practice has been re-established with the appointment of physicians in Zanesville.

1954
William Saunders, M.D., joined the faculty in 1954 as assistant professor and was the first full-time member of the department. He became chairman on the death of Dr. Harris and retired from the chairmanship in 1984, when he was succeeded by David Schuller, M.D.