Otolaryngology is defined by Merriam-Webster’s dictionary as ‘a medical specialty concerned especially with the ear, nose and throat and related parts of the head and neck.’ Dr. John Edwin Brown founded The Ohio State University Department of Otolaryngology in 1914. In the 1920s the specialty of ophthalmology, examination of the structure, function and diseases of the eyes, separated from otolaryngology. In the 1930s a two-year residency program was established. In the 1940s Otolaryngology evolved to require 5 years of postgraduate training, including a year of general surgery training.
Dr. William Saunders became the first full-time member of the Department of Otolaryngology when he joined the faculty in 1954. Also, in the 1950s residents began training in audiology and allergy. Dr. Saunders was eventually named chair of the Department and is credited with growing the department and establishing its structure. During his tenure as chair, the Otological Research Laboratories opened under Dr. Michael Paparella and were later headed by internationally known otolaryngologist Dr. David Lim. The first cochlear implant surgeries on an adult patient and a pediatric patient were performed in Ohio by Department of Otolaryngology physicians.
After Saunders retirement in 1984, Dr. David Schuller became chair, and the department continued to evolve. Clincs for balance and voice and swallowing disorders were opened. Practices for general otolaryngology, sinus, allergy and sleep surgery were also added. The Department of Otolaryngology is regularly ranked in the top twenty programs in the country and the number one program in Ohio by U.S. News and World Report magazine.
When The Ohio State University College of Medicine was founded in 1914 a school for the study of homeopathic medicine was initially included. However, in 1922 the University’s Board of Trustees decided against operating standard and homeopathic schools of medicine and the school for homeopathic medicine closed.
The Medical Glass Plates Collection (0.5 linear feet) primarily contains glass plates from Drs. Saunders, Griffin, Shea and Ray of the Department of Otolaryngology dating from 1956 to 1963. They depict images of the ears, nose and throat. There are also two glass plates from the College of Homeopathic Medicine that depict cases of ring worm and Hodgkin’s Disease.
The glass plates are listed individually.
The collection is open to the public and is available for viewing in the Medical Heritage Center. Materials do not circulate and must be used in the supervised reading room. Restrictions, including copyright, may exist and some materials may be too fragile to photocopy or digitize. The MHC charges for duplication services, which must be performed by staff.
[Identification of item], Medical Glass Plates Collection, SPEC.202504.GLASSPLATES, Medical Heritage Center, Health Sciences Library, The Ohio State University.