The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from Brooklyn, New York • Page 79

Tags' Tkrei' Has Most Valuable lands In tKe World Dr. Muncie's Fingers Have Been Developed Into Extremely Sensitive Surgical Operators Cr1 Dr. Curtis H. Muncie and His Hands, Which He Has Developed to Such a High Degree of Sensitivity That They Are Rated as the Most Valuable In the Worli By Edgar S. Kennedy FINGERS so sensitive as to be able to sense the difference between normal and diseased tissue, and upon which a valuation exceeding that of the grea; Padcrewski has been placed are those of Dr.

Curtis H. Muncie, Brooklyn ear specialist who has attained worldwide reputation for his "constructive finger surgery." Dr. Muncie, whose method of treating deafness has revolutionized the medical world, achieves his results solely through finger manipulation of the deformed tissues, which he believes are responsible in the majority of cases of deafness. Successful demonstration of the "Muncie Method" of treatment has been given in London, Glasgow, Paris and in the principal cities of the United States and Canada. When Dr.

was sought in his tastefully fur-' nished office and he extended his greetings, assenting courteously to an interview was a man whom celebrity had in no way affected. A frank, open face, cheery sniile combined with sincerity and informal dignity that denotes men of the profession faced the interviewer. The aurist has a high intelligent forehead surmounted with dark brown hair with a suggestion of wave, a firm mouth from which the slightest suggestion of boyishness creeps out occasionally, a strong chin and brown eyes that look straightforwardly into the face of his interrogator. "How did you acquire the technique which enables you to perform these operations?" he was asked. "Soon after I began practicing here in Brooklyn," he answered, "I discovered that my fingers could sense the difference between normal and diseased tissues in the post-nasal cavity.

With that in my mind, after some research i classified derangements of the Eustachian tube, which constitute the underlying cause of most cases of deafness into eight types. Further, I found that with my fingers I could manipulate the Eustachian tube and reconstruct the tissues, leaving the normal adjustment to nature. "Cases where the nerve is completely degenerated and cases of congenital deafness I am unwilling to handle." he added. "The former case gives little hope, and the latter is sometimes attended with some modicum of success." Dr. Muncie was asked to tell about his clinics abroad.

"At my clinics at London, Glasgow and Paris I treated 140 patients. The Glasgow clinic was the best attended. The report that my purpose in going to Europe was to treat Don Jaime, the Spanish prince, I subsequently denied. I did treat in Paris a but for professional reasons I cannot discuss his case. My clinic In London, which was under the auspices of the British Osteopathic Society and the International Society for Otological Research, was attended by several leading medical men and specialists of various schools of medicine." After being the first to introduce finger surgery in the cure of deafness in London in 1923, the work is now being carried on by another osteopathic aurist.

"In Paris, I believe," he continued, "I had the most success. There the medical body, probably profiting from fhe Pasteur lesson, were willing to investigate my method. With the co-operation of the School of Medicine of the University of Paris, I held a clinic at the Hotel Majestic and treated a number of cases where hearing, if not completely restored, was brought back to about 85 to 95 percent" The interviewer saw a letter from Dr. Mathe of the School of Medicine of the University of Paris in testi- ment with the company at the end of that Toyaee, his predicament was considered unfortunate. Noticing his trouble, Dr.

Muncie made a test and found that it was a case he could help. Using his stateroom as an operating room and assisted by Mrs. Ada Hick9, Dr. Muncie's charming anesthetist, to whom he attributes a great deal of his success, for he calls it "her hearty cooperation," he treated the steward and restored his hearing. Radio dispatches the same day to both continents proclaimed what had been accomplished.

The operation was performed on the roughest day out and, with the assistance of Mrs. Hicks and the ship's surgeon, nitrous oxide and oxygen were administered. Quickly inserting his finger in the mouth of the patient, accompanied by a few deft movements of the wrist, the operation was over. When asked to recount his early life, the doctor modestly refrained from vouchsafing any information, but Mrs. Hicks supplied the necessary data.

"He was born in Brooklyn," she said, "and is still in his thirties. He comes from a line of doctors. His grandfather; father, Dr. Edward and mother. Dr.

Elizabeth, are all M. The last two are practicing boro physicians. He was educated at Poly Prep and at the Polytechnic Institute, and received his degrees from the American School of Osteopathy at Kirksville, Mo. Post-graduate work here and in Europe then occupied him. until receiving his license from the State Board of Regents he began practice here in 1910.

It was in 1921 that he electrified the National Osteopathic Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, with his demonstration of the 'Reconstruction of the Eustachian Tube' for cure of deafness." Dr. Muncie explained that at his clinics held on two continents no fees were charged. He is vitally interested in having his method examined by a competent body with the view of opening a new line of research, and his sole aim is to better suffering humanity. The fingers which mean so much to Dr. Muncie and more so to deaf humanity are insured for $400,000, compared with $80,000, which is the amount of insurance on Paderewski's.

As Dr. Muncie uses just four fingers in his operation, the two indices and the two car fingers, the value per finger is $100,000. The pianist-politician, who uses all ten has a value of 55,000 on each finger. Dr. Muncie's fingers before he devoted himself exclusively to the care of the deaf have treated cases of impaired eyesight.

This mode of treatment consists of removing the eye from the socket, which is done without any pain, but as the doctor humorously put it, "a slight inconvenience to its owner." Dr. Muncie when he does take a retires to his summer home on the shores of Peconic Bay. Tfccte in seclusion he devotes himself to bis oaks, of which ho is particularly fond, and gazes with avidity on the rougher water sports which he is forced to forego if he is to maintain the sensitivity of his fingers on shich his renown and service to deaf humanity rests. mony of the results accomplished by Dr. Muncie's finger operations.

While in Paris Dr. Muncie operated on Firmin Gemier, foremost French actor and director of the national theater, the Odeon. M. Gemier, minus one eardrum, had been almost completely deaf for twenty-five years. Tests after the operation showed that M.

Gemier could hear almost normally. "What do you consider your outstanding case?" "There have been quite many that may be called that," the aurist replied, "but one in particular, in view of recent developments, stands out in my mind. That is Thomas Charles Easton of 49 Sussex Haywards Heath, Sussex, England." Mr. Easton was treated by Dr. Muncie at his free clinic in London in 1923 and J.

E. Stevens, author, onetime head of a New Zealand school for the deaf, and himself deaf, writes of that operation: "Mr. Easton wrote me two months after the operation saying that 'after four years of almost total deafness, it is almost impossible to describe the delightful feeling of having one's hearing In May, 1925, almost two years after his treatment, Mr. Easton writes to Dr. Muncie stating that his bearing had in no way depreciated and avowing his lifelong indebtedness.

Dr. Muncie has treated patients from almost every country. One of his patients, another outstanding case, is the wife of the Chilean Ambassador to the United States, Madame B. Mathieu, whose hearing improved 100 percent following the finger operation. In response to a request, the aurist held out his hands for examination.

Quite striking to look at casually, but more so on close observation. Slender and with a sensitiveness (fcat betrays itself by the constant restlessness, the hands are probably the first thing that would attract attention. In the office they are usually clad in gloves, and it is said he washes them 100 times a day. When attention was called to their obvious muscle development, he said: "in my work the strength is not all-important; it's their sensitivity. The condition of the tissues is conveyed to me through them.

This is something instruments cannot do." Dr. Muncie uses a special soap for his hands that was prepared for him by one of his patients who is engaged in the business. The doctor, who is an ardent water sportsman, had to give up bis sailboat because he could not handle the ropes, but he is still devoted to his speed boat. "Many who engage in this kind of work," he resumed, "fail to develop the necessary high sense of touch. It has taken me years to do it and, like voice culture.

I have to keep at it" A case very pleasing to Dr. Muncie and one that was performed under unusual circumstances was that of a steward on board the S. S. Majestic that took him to Europe. The steward it appears had been slightly deaf for a few years and the ailment was becoming worse.

He was slated to terminate his engage-.