Samuel Rosen*

Samuel Rosen was born in 1897 in Syracuse, New York. His father, a peddler of crockery, barely earned enough money to feed his family. By age eight, Rosen had decided to become a doctor so that he could find a cure for his mother's asthma.

Although his brothers and sisters did not consider a college education for themselves, they worked to pay Rosen's tuition and expenses so he could attend Syracuse University. He earned his medical degree in 1921. After finishing a two-year internship at New York's Mt. Sinai Hospital, he continued to work there and began to specialize in ear, nose, and throat ailments.

In 1952, Rosen accidentally jarred loose a small, stirrup-shared bone called the stapes during an operation; the patient immediately regained his hearing. After months of refining the "Rosen stapes" technique, he published his findings in medical journals. He taught his 30-minute operation to doctors all over the world for free.

Rosen was recognized both nationally and internationally for his achievements in medicine. He began the first collaborative medical research project ever undertaken between the United States and China involving acupuncture and the treatment of nerve damage to the ear.