By Marcello Cherchi, MD PhD
Dr. Harold Frederick Schuknecht (1917 – 1996) was a renowned otolaryngologist who produced pioneering otopathological studies revered by generations of trainees and practitioners (Nadol 1997a, b). He also developed new surgical techniques and devices that were broadly adopted into clinical practice. During his residency at the University of Chicago he studied under, and was very influenced by, the department chairman at the time, Dr. John Lindsay. He subsequently joined the faculty at the University of Chicago, then moved to Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and finally to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary of Harvard University, where he remained for the rest of his career and established a temporal bone bank that has provided materials for an impressive amount of scholarship. The first edition (Schuknecht 1974) and second edition (Schuknecht 1993) of his compendium of otopathology have become standard reference works.
References
Nadol JB, Jr. (1997a) Harold Frederick Schuknecht, M.D. 1917-1996. J Laryngol Otol 111: 1-3.
Nadol JB, Jr. (1997b) Harold Frederick Schuknecht. 1917-1996. Audiol Neurootol 2: 168-70. doi: 10.1159/000259239
Schuknecht HF (1974) Pathology of the ear. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Schuknecht HF (1993) Pathology of the ear, 2nd edn. Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia
