Preserving the Specialty’s Rich Past

As one of the oldest medical and surgical specialties in the United States, otolaryngology-head and neck surgery has many historical artifacts that tell the story of the specialty from its pioneering beginnings.

Otolaryngologist and long-time Academy member, Lee D. Rowe, MD, at his Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, office.To help preserve that history for future generations, long-time otolaryngologist and Academy member Lee D. Rowe, MD, recently donated several items from his personal collection to The John Q. Adams Center for the History of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, an extensive library and archival museum located on the fifth floor of the AAO-HNS/F headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.

Included among some of the items donated were:

• A completely intact Chevalier Jackson adult and pediatric bronchoscope and laryngoscope set from 1940
• Several medical and surgery textbooks from the 1880s and early 1900s
• The complete study notes of Dr. Maurice Cottle's iconic hands-on teaching course, Corrective Surgery of the Nasal Septum and External Pyramid, which was printed in 1960
• Several highly sought-after historical textbooks, including Micro-laryngoscopy and Endolaryngeal Microsurgery: Technique and Typical Findings by Oskar Kleinsasser; Tympanoplasty and Stapedectomy: A Manual of Techniques by Ugo Fisch; Complications of Head and Neck Surgery by John Conley; and Diseases of the Sinuses: Diagnosis and Management by David W. Kennedy, Simion James Zinreich, and William E. Bolger

For Dr. Rowe, donating these items was a natural choice. “I have always felt a strong connection between what I have done in my life with what others contributed to our specialty before me,” he told the Bulletin. “This carries with it the understanding that history not only shapes our present but enlightens our future as well. Because of this, I sensed an obligation to preserve the past and maintain a focus on who we are and where we are going.”

Meeting with Academy Luminary Leads to Epiphany

For as long as he can remember, Dr. Rowe wanted to be a physician and surgeon. The son of a restauranteur and entrepreneur father and a mother who had an exquisite eye for detail, Dr. Rowe knew early on that he wanted to use the respective talents he inherited from his parents. But it wasn’t until a meeting with an Academy luminary that he decided otolaryngology would be his path.

“Through a series of interconnected events during my first and second years of medical school, I ended up one spring Saturday morning in 1972 in the University of Pennsylvania laboratory of Dr. Eugene Myers,” Dr. Rowe recalled. “It was not until that meeting with Dr. Myers in his research lab at [the University of] Pennsylvania that I had my epiphany. I can remember walking out of the building after spending several hours with him, seeing what his research involved, and learning about the field in more detail, and I decided at that point that I wanted to become an otolaryngologist.”

Dr. Rowe noted that while many of his colleagues saw the field of otolaryngology as a “constricting field of endeavor,” he saw it as an opportunity to combine the mental practice of medicine with the physically creative hands of a surgeon.

“I walked out of Dr. Myers’ laboratory and immediately realized the paradox I had encountered: What may have appeared on the surface to be merely crawling through a narrow trapdoor was actually a window that was wide open for me to learn everything I wanted to learn about in medicine and surgery,” Dr. Rowe said. “It became a goal to work for—which l did with intensity and conviction.”

Making His Mark in Port Richmond, Philadelphia

After completing his residency in otolaryngology at the University of Pennsylvania in 1978, Dr. Rowe worked in California for a few years before returning to Philadelphia in 1981. Upon his return, he worked for several institutions, but he made arguably his biggest impact at an urban community hospital called Northeastern Hospital, located in the river district of northeast Philadelphia, known as Port Richmond.

Upon arriving at Northeastern Hospital, Dr. Rowe was met with several challenges, including the hospital not having a fully functioning otolaryngology clinic, or any otolaryngology or head and neck surgery equipment available in the operating room. To combat this issue, Dr. Rowe borrowed equipment from other hospitals in Philadelphia where he worked until hospital administrators realized he was there to stay and purchased equipment he could use.

Another challenge Dr. Rowe encountered was a lack of sufficient office and clinic space, but with the help of his associates at the time, he started purchasing row homes across the street from Northeastern, and he gradually converted those homes into office space for his growing practice.

Potentially the biggest challenge Dr. Rowe encountered, though, was that many of his patients were not insured and often could not pay for their care in whole, or sometimes, at all. Northeastern Hospital was located in a working-class neighborhood, and a significant percentage of the patients he took care of were on Medicare or Medicaid or were self-insured. Many of the children he cared for received government assistance.

Dr. Rowe and his wife, Lauren Rowe, a certified audiologist and classically trained vocalist.Despite numerous challenges, Dr. Rowe took them all in stride. He did his best to receive better coverage for his patients on Medicaid and Medicare. He also became a coding and billing expert to try and plug holes where he could. He cites that the biggest help came from his wife, Lauren Rowe. Ms. Rowe, a classically trained vocalist with a master’s degree in opera performance, became a certified audiologist and trained herself to operate otolaryngology technology, all while serving as Dr. Rowe’s office manager. “She literally kept things together for me.”

With the support of his wife and others, Dr. Rowe helped improve and save the lives of thousands of Philadelphians throughout his over 40-year career in Philadelphia.

“Our Specialty Is an Amazing Field”

Now retired, Dr. Rowe is optimistic about the future of otolaryngology. He believes that the field is in good hands as long as future otolaryngologists remember one important thing, "The future of humanity is held in the hands of those who are willing to learn with empathy for all people.”

“Our specialty is an amazing field,” Dr. Rowe said. “If they maintain their zest for knowledge and embrace empathy for their patients, the next generation of otolaryngologists will be pricelessly rewarded and hear the voices of wisdom. I’ll guarantee that.”

Dr. Rowe enjoys a variety of physical activities in his retirement, including long-distance running, pickleball, and various types of biking. He also shares his wife’s love of music and participates in several musical endeavors with her. He also travels and enjoys spending time with his family and reconnecting with people from his past.

“I’m spending my remaining years reaching out to the people I care for in my own life. In my opinion, life does come full circle,” Dr. Rowe said.