Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital

Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital (or Institute) (MEETH or MEETI) is a specialty hospital in New York City that was founded in 1869 and is currently located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan at 210 East 64th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues). After 131 years as an independent entity, in 2000 MEETI affiliated with Lenox Hill Hospital, a 652-bed acute care hospital, established in New York City in 1857 and located at 77th Street (between Park and Lexington Avenues) in Manhattan. MEETI is recognized in medical circles for its long history of contributions in developing the fields of ophthalmology, otolaryngology and plastic surgery. MEETI provides thousands of patients a year with treatment in its ambulatory surgery facilities.

Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital was granted a charter from the New York Legislature to found a voluntary, non-profit Eye and Ear hospital on May 9, 1869. The hospital was founded based on the purpose "to alleviate the suffering of the poor and the cultivation and diffusion of sound knowledge of all that relates to the diseases of the eye and ear." The founders of this institution included prominent citizens of the time and pioneers in the field of medicine and surgery, a group of 17 men: including 14 laymen and 3 physicians. They hoped to help those afflicted by impaired vision and hearing.

On October 15, 1869, Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital was opened in a rented brownstone at 233 East 34th Street. The Hospital, which had 13 beds and an outpatient clinic, was supported primarily through charitable donations and no provision was made for private patients. Patients were asked to pay what they could, if they could, and most of them were not able to pay anything. However, the space was not adequate to accommodate the large number of patients seeking medical help there. In the first 14 months of its existence, the hospital treated 1,717 patients, and 294 operations were performed in its quarters. Efforts were initiated almost immediately to raise funds for a larger, more suitable and permanent facility.

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