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Friedrich Samuel Brodnitz, MD, 1899–1995

2001; Elsevier BV; Volume: 15; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0892-1997(01)00001-7

1873-4588

Hans von Leden,

Medicine and Dermatology Studies History

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the death of a friend and physician to whom all laryngologists in the United States owe a debt of gratitude. It was Friedrich Brodnitz who introduced the concept of phoniatrics to our medical field, and it was Friedrich Brodnitz who served as an example to those of us who chose the professional care of voice as their special area of interest. The time has come to review Friedrich's contribution to his specialty and to humanity. His example should prove an inspiration and encouragement to all of us. Friedrich Samuel Brodnitz was born in Berlin at the close of the 19th century, on September 25, 1899. His father was a distinguished attorney who had been honored with the title “Justizrat” (Judicial Counselor). Friedrich experienced the horrors of World War I in his teens as well as the subsequent economic upheaval of the German inflation as a student at the Alexander Humboldt University in Berlin. He interned at the University Hospital for Internal Medicine and received his Doctorate in 1924. During the next three years, he served as assistant to the world famous Professor Carl von Eicken at the University Hospital for Nose, Throat and Ear Diseases. Subsequently, he worked with Professor Herman Gutzmann Sr. and Professor Theodore Flatau at the University Clinic of the Charite in Berlin to perfect his knowledge of speech and voice disorders. At the same time, he established an office for his private patients and devoted his spare time to his love of music. He was considered a first-rate violinist and a promising conductor; for a while he seriously considered a career as a musician. Berlin was the ideal place for a lover of music in the 1920s when the capital of Germany was also the center of the European entertainment industry. In my discussions with Friedrich, he occasionally mentioned that he had the opportunity to conduct the overture to “The Flying Dutchman” during that period. Alas, all his plans were shattered when the Nazis took over the reins of Germany in 1933. Friedrich was compelled to give up his affiliation with the Charite and subsequently his private practice. During the next four years he served as “Presse Chef” or spokesman for the Jewish community in Germany. In this capacity on a daily basis he had to deal with the authorities of the Nazi Party on one hand, and with their hapless victims on the other—a task that required humility, diplomacy and, above all, courage and determination. Friedrich was well aware of the constant danger to which he was exposed from day to day, and he maintained close, secret contact with the American Embassy. His own presentation of these perilous years attests to the vulnerability and the frustrations of his position (publications of the Leo Beack Institute, 1986). In the end it was through the American Embassy that he learned of his impending arrest, and it was a friendly consul at the American Embassy who provided the necessary documents and transportation for Friedrich's escape from Germany — one step ahead of the dreaded “Gestapo” (secret police). When Friedrich arrived in the United States in 1937, he found little knowledge and little interest in the field of voice disorders among otolaryngologists. Friedrich opened an office for private patients in Manhattan and studied for the American Board of Otolaryngology. He was certified in 1942 and that same year he was invited to establish a clinic for voice disorders at Mount Sinai Hospital. He served as head of this clinic until his retirement at age 65. At the same time, he taught students of speech pathology as Professor of Communication Sciences at Hunter College, an integral part of the University of the City of New York. In his new home, Friedrich had no opportunity to pursue his musical talents, but he became well known for his clinical care of voice professionals. His patients included such eminent singers as Leontyne Price, Lotte Lehmann and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and such celebrities as Arthur Godfrey and Nelson Rockefeller. In the early 1950s, Brodnitz introduced the first instruction course on “The Actor and Singer in Ear, Nose and Throat Practice” at the annual meetings of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology. I had the privilege of listening to his wise counsel, and a life-long friendship was born. Although I had been involved in otolaryngology for more than ten years, it was my first opportunity to listen to an expert in the art and science of professional voice care. I have never forgotten that lesson. Friedrich Brodnitz continued to teach until a foot ailment made it difficult for him to travel. His last major lecture occurred on August 22, 1988 when the 88-year-old laryngologist was invited by Professor Sopko of the University of Basel, Switzerland, to address students on psychosomatic problems in oto-rhino-laryngology. He continued to participate on our panel “The Actor and Singer as Patients of the Otolaryngologist” at the American Academy of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery until he closed his office at the age of 92. Friedrich had many interests: music, history, literature and mountain climbing, which he pursued until the age of 88. His knowledge of the medical literature in his chosen field was beyond comparison. He knew all the pioneers in phoniatrics personally: the two Gutzmanns and Flatau In Berlin, Froschels and Weiss in Vienna, Seeman in Prague, Paul Moses in San Francisco, Luchsinger in Zurich, and Segre in Buenos Aires. He was a great raconteur, witty and humorous, with an unending treasury of anecdotes. Friedrich authored two major scholarly publications: a manual on Vocal Rehabilitation for his colleagues, and a book Keep Your Voice Healthy for the laity. Both volumes created so much interest that they generated several editions. (An updated edition of Keep Your Voice Healthy: A Guide to the Intelligent Use and Care of the Speaking and Singing Voice was published in 1988 and is still available through the Singular Publishing Group in San Diego.) He contributed chapters to several textbooks and numerous articles to scientific journals and the lay press. Friedrich Brodnitz has been the only physician to receive the “honors” of the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association. In 1992, President Richard Holt presented him with a special award of the American Academy of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery. Among his other recognitions was the “Gould Award” of the William and Harriett Gould Foundation in Chicago for his contributions to the science and art of voice care, as well as a special citation from the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Friedrich was also proud of the honors he received from the country of his birth: in 1979 from the Senate of Berlin, in 1980 from the German Medical Association, and in 1981 from the Otolaryngological Society in Berlin. Although a foot ailment robbed Friedrich Brodnitz of his usual motility in 1988, his mind remained clear and he continued his private practice in Manhattan until 1992. Thereafter, some of his loyal patients continued to consult him at his home, and he remained a wise counselor to his friends and former students. During his lifetime he was recognized as the Dean of Phoniatrics in the United States of America. Friedrich was hospitalized at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York for an evaluation of an irritating skin problem, when he passed away peacefully on October 17, 1995. He is survived by his devoted wife of 52 years, Henny Brodnitz. His life was dedicated to his patients and his students in the spirit of the Hippocratic oath. R.I.P.