[Samuel Rosen (1897-1981): the originator of stapes mobilization]

Samuel Rosen originator of the surgical procedure so called mobilization, was second only to Juliusz Lempert as one of the great modern discoverers of new surgical techniques in the treatment of otosclerosis. This was the result of a chance discovery during routine stapes mobility test of the ossiculat chain before fenestration. Rosen having had excellent scientific training and knowledge was well prepared to interpret accidental stapes mobility and so design a new surgical technique. This operation enabled thousands of patients with otosclerosis to regain their hearing. However, he did not receive widespread acclaim in his own country. He received many invitations from abroad, travelled to several countries around the world where he taught stapes mobility testing and demonstrated his surgical procedure. In 1957 he also visited Poland, where he was born. He did not however limit himself to microsurgery of the ear. He created a group of international scientists who on the basis of investigations carried out by some of them, in the quiet noiseless African bush demonstrated that not only hearing is protected and the ageing process of this sensory organ delayed but also the development of arteriosclerosis is slowed down that which is the root cause of more and more cases of heart disease which among other factors can be attributed to the noisy stress ridden world we live in. After much success and fame which he achieved throughout the world, the American Medical Association awarded Sam Rosen a gold medal in 1967. But this too was not widely accepted by all his colleagues in his own country. He died in 1981 in China.

Management of the stapes footplate with special reference to otosclerosis

The history of the description of otosclerosis is presented in detail, beginning with Toynbee in 1857, together with the development of the surgical treatment beginning with Kessel in 1876. The prominent European and American contributors to this development are presented, with emphasis on the evolution of thinking with regard to surgical treatment as new information became available and new instruments were invented.