Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital
Encyclopedia
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
at 210th East 64th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues). After 131 years as an independent entity, in 2000 MEETI affiliated with Lenox Hill Hospital
Lenox Hill Hospital
Lenox Hill Hospital, on Manhattan's Upper East Side in New York City, is a 652-bed, acute care hospital and a major teaching affiliate of New York University Medical Center. Founded in 1857 as the German Dispensary, today's 10-building Lenox Hill Hospital complex has occupied its present site since...
, a 652-bed acute care hospital, established in New York City in 1857 and located at 77th Street (between Park and Lexington Avenues) in Manhattan. MEETI is recognized in medical circles for its long history of contributions in developing the fields of ophthalmology
Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...
, otolaryngology
Otolaryngology
Otolaryngology or ENT is the branch of medicine and surgery that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck disorders....
and plastic surgery
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
. MEETI provides thousands of patients a year with treatment in its ambulatory surgery facilities.
Background
Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital was granted a charter from the New York LegislatureNew York Legislature
The New York State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York. The New York Constitution does not designate an official term for the two houses together...
to found a voluntary, non-profit Eye
Human eye
The human eye is an organ which reacts to light for several purposes. As a conscious sense organ, the eye allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth...
and Ear
Ear
The ear is the organ that detects sound. It not only receives sound, but also aids in balance and body position. The ear is part of the auditory system....
hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
on May 9, 1869. The hospital was founded based on the purpose "to alleviate the suffering of the poor and the cultivation and diffusion of sound knowledge of all that relates to the diseases of the eye and ear."
The founders of this institution included prominent citizens of the time and pioneers in the
field of medicine and surgery, a group of 17 men: including 14 laymen and 3 physicians with names
including Agnew, Bliss, Brown, Dodge, Duncan, Egleston, Harriman
Harriman
-People:* W. Averell Harriman, former Governor of New York, son of E. H. Harriman and brother of E. Roland Harriman* E. H. Harriman, railroad executive, father of W. Averell and E. Roland Harriman...
, Lanier, Milbank, Paton, Phelps, Roosa, Roosevelt
Roosevelt family
In heraldry, canting arms are a visual or pictorial play on a surname, and were and still are a popular practice. It would be common to find roses, then, in arms of many Roosevelt families, even unrelated ones...
, and Strong. With the opening of this facility, they began a new era which was an era of hope for those afflicted by impaired vision
Visual perception
Visual perception is the ability to interpret information and surroundings from the effects of visible light reaching the eye. The resulting perception is also known as eyesight, sight, or vision...
and hearing
Hearing (sense)
Hearing is the ability to perceive sound by detecting vibrations through an organ such as the ear. It is one of the traditional five senses...
.
On October 15, 1869, Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital was opened in a rented
brownstone at 233 East 34th Street. The Hospital, which had 13 beds and an outpatient clinic, was supported primarily through charitable donations and no provision was made for
private patients. Patients were asked to pay what they could, if they could, and most of them
were not able to pay anything.
While the Hospital on East 34th Street was a beginning, it soon became apparent that it
would not be adequate to accommodate the large number of patients seeking medical help there. In
the first 14 months of its existence, the hospital treated 1,717 patients and 294 operations
were performed in its quarters. Efforts were initiated almost immediately to raise funds for a
larger, more suitable and permanent facility.
The first permanent facility of Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital was located on
Park Avenue
Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
and 41st Street and was completed and opened on October 3, 1881. This 75 bed Hospital quickly became a nationally recognized center for the treatment of Eye, Ear and
Throat diseases and by the late 1800’s patients were coming from across the United States seeking the specialized care provided by the physicians at Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat
Hospital.
With the number of patients increasing substantially each year, it was not long before the
facilities of Manhattan Eye and Ear on Park Avenue became overburdened. On November 1, 1906, the Hospital moved to new quarters at 210 East 64th Street. This seven story
building, which served as the Hospital’s primary inpatient facility for the next 76 years (until 1982), is still in use, currently housing the outpatient department and administrative offices.
Although the location had changed twice since the opening of the Hospital in 1869, the
purpose of the hospital and the dedication of its founders remained constant, motivating the physicians and
the administration of the Hospital to meet the new and greater challenges presented each
day. The Annex on 63rd Street was completed in 1917, increasing the Hospital's working
capacity by 30%.
In 1925, three floors were added to the main hospital building on East 64th Street. In the
ensuing years, many renovation projects were undertaken to upgrade and improve this
facility.
However, by the late 1970’s the Hospital was inadequate to accommodate the 10,000
inpatients and the nearly 100,000 outpatients treated annually, and plans were initiated
for a new seven floor addition to the Hospital’s complex. In addition to totally replacing the
Hospital’s inpatient facilities and surgical suites, the new building allowed expansion of
research programs.
Many world renowned physicians have been associated with MEETH, including its founders Cornelius Agnew
Cornelius Rea Agnew
Cornelius Rea Agnew was an American physician.Agnew was born in New York City, the son of William Agnew and Elizabeth Thompson Agnew. He graduated from Columbia College in 1849, and from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1852. That same year, he was appointed...
and Daniel B. St. John Roosa
Daniel Bennett St. John Roosa
Daniel Bennett St. John Roosa was an American physician, born in Bethel, New York.He graduated in 1860 from New York's University Medical College; was assistant surgeon in the Fifth New York Volunteers' three-months troops, became resident surgeon at the New York Hospital in 1862, and in 1864...
, Charles Kelman
Charles Kelman
Charles D. Kelman was an ophthalmologist and a pioneer in cataract surgery.Kelman was born in Brooklyn, New York to David and Eva Kelman. He grew up in Queens where he attended Forest Hills High School. After graduation, he attended Boston's Tufts University, where he earned a B.S...
, Lawrence Yannuzzi
Lawrence Yannuzzi
Lawrence Yannuzzi is an American physician, ophthalmologist, and vitreo-retinal surgeon who is noted as an internationally recognized retinal specialist.-Early career and family:...
, David Gilbert Yates
David Gilbert Yates
David Gilbert Yates was an American otorhinolaryngologist, born in New Jersey. He attended private schools and after a brief stint as a journalist entered New York University, receiving his medical degree in 1898...
.
1999 Closure plan and 2000 merger
In 1999 the Board of Directors of MEETH adopted a plan to sell the real estate on East 64th Street, terminate its residency program and close all hospital functions. The Supreme Court of New York County denied the petition associated with this plan, finding instead that the closure was not proper and not the only available alternative. Subsequently, in 2000 the MEETH instead affiliated with Lenox Hill HospitalLenox Hill Hospital
Lenox Hill Hospital, on Manhattan's Upper East Side in New York City, is a 652-bed, acute care hospital and a major teaching affiliate of New York University Medical Center. Founded in 1857 as the German Dispensary, today's 10-building Lenox Hill Hospital complex has occupied its present site since...
in a merger in which no money was exchanged according to press reports.
2004 Face lift incidents
In January, 2004 Olivia GoldsmithOlivia Goldsmith
Olivia Goldsmith was an American author, best known for her first novel The First Wives Club , which was adapted into the movie The First Wives Club .-Biography:...
, a novelist, died at MEETH after elective facial surgery and in February, 2004, another patient (Susan Malitz) died at MEETH during a face-lift. Both incidents attracted national attention at the time.
Medical Specialties
Today, Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital is a center for postgraduate training of ophthalmologists, otolaryngologists and plastic surgeons.Ophthalmology - eye care
Medical care is provided for the diagnosis and treatment of afflictions of the eye, including issues such as cataracts, glaucomaGlaucoma
Glaucoma is an eye disorder in which the optic nerve suffers damage, permanently damaging vision in the affected eye and progressing to complete blindness if untreated. It is often, but not always, associated with increased pressure of the fluid in the eye...
and age-related macular degeneration. Medical research is being conducted on an ongoing basis to better understand mechanisms and treatments for diseases of the eye.
Otolaryngology - head & neck surgery
Medical care is provided for the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the ears, nose, sinuses, throat, head and neck. Treatment is provided to both adult and pediatric patients. Some of the areas of treatment include: head and neck tumor surgery, thyroid and parathyroid gland surgery, surgery for sleep apneaSleep apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing, during sleep. Each pause in breathing, called an apnea, can last from a few seconds to minutes, and may occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour. Similarly, each abnormally low...
, ear surgery, emergency services, plastic and reconstructive surgery, minimally invasive skull base surgery and reconstruction of congenital deformities of the ear.
Plastic surgery
The Plastic Surgery Clinic provides aesthetic surgical procedures including: facelift, browlift (eyebrows), blepharoplasty (eyelids), rhinoplasty (nose), otoplasty (ears), breast augmentation, breast reduction , abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), liposuction, botox and fat injections and others.Research milestones
MEETH has played a long-standing role in ophthalmic research and has claimed many firsts: first allergyAllergy
An Allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. Allergic reactions occur when a person's immune system reacts to normally harmless substances in the environment. A substance that causes a reaction is called an allergen. These reactions are acquired, predictable, and rapid...
clinic
Clinic
A clinic is a health care facility that is primarily devoted to the care of outpatients...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- 1916, first diagnostic treatment clinic for glaucoma
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is an eye disorder in which the optic nerve suffers damage, permanently damaging vision in the affected eye and progressing to complete blindness if untreated. It is often, but not always, associated with increased pressure of the fluid in the eye...
- 1942, first eye bank
Eye bank
Eye banks retrieve and store eyes for cornea transplants and research. US eye banks provide tissue for about 46,000 cornea transplants a year to treat conditions such as keratoconus and cornea scarring. The cornea is not the only part of the eye that can currently undergo transplantation. The...
- 1944, first small-incision phacoemulsification
Phacoemulsification
Phacoemulsification refers to modern cataract surgery in which the eye's internal lens is emulsified with an ultrasonic handpiece and aspirated from the eye...
cataract
Cataract
A cataract is a clouding that develops in the crystalline lens of the eye or in its envelope, varying in degree from slight to complete opacity and obstructing the passage of light...
extraction - 1967, first cochlear implant
Cochlear implant
A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing...
center - 1983, first nasal center - 1989, first excimer laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
vision correction trials - 1990, first laser procedure for cataract extraction - 1993. MEETH has also been a pioneer in: Photodynamic therapy
Photodynamic therapy
Photodynamic therapy is used clinically to treat a wide range of medical conditions, including malignant cancers, and is recognised as a treatment strategy which is both minimally invasive and minimally toxic...
for wet macular degeneration
Macular degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration is a medical condition which usually affects older adults and results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field because of damage to the retina. It occurs in “dry” and “wet” forms. It is a major cause of blindness and visual impairment in older adults...
, the use of sonography (ultrasound
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is thus not separated from "normal" sound based on differences in physical properties, only the fact that humans cannot hear it. Although this limit varies from person to person, it is...
) and angiography to diagnose a wide range of eye disorders, ophthalmic plastic surgery
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
, and LASIK
LASIK
LASIK or Lasik , commonly referred to simply as laser eye surgery, is a type of refractive surgery for correcting myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism...
laser vision correction.