As a clinician, research scientist, scholar, and teacher at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Dr. Saumil Nalin Merchant had a reputation that reached around the world.

He worked in the field of otology, treating disorders and diseases of the ear, and was one of the American members of the Collegium Oto-Rhino-Laryngologicum Amicitiae Sacrum, the premier international society for otologic research.

Yet despite such renown, his neighbors in Acton knew he was available to treat any medical emergency.

He was the kindest, most gentle man I ever met, said his neighbor Susan Pinsky, who added that Dr. Merchant was always glad to examine a neighborhood child with an earache.

He was so generous with his time, efforts, and knowledge, she said. My daughter burst into tears when she heard he had died.

Dr. Merchant, the son of two physicians, was the Gudrun Larsen Eliasen and Nels Kristian Eliasen Professor of Otology and Laryngology.

He died of complications following a heart attack June 27 in the Kaplan Hospice House in Danvers. He was 51 and had lived in Acton.

He was such a kind person and so caring, said Herb Chambers of Boston, who owns automobile dealerships. He would take whatever time was necessary for you and would come to my office in Somerville if I needed him. He was brilliant.

Dr. Merchants other research passion was the study of the pathology of the human temporal bone.

In a tribute, Dr. Joseph B. Nadol Jr., chief of otolarygology at Mass. Eye and Ear, and Dr. Michael J. McKenna, a professor of otolaryngology and laryngology at Harvard Medical School, wrote that Dr. Merchants research was consistently supported by National Institutes of Health funding, a clear testament to the high regard in which his research work was held.

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Dr. Saumil Merchant, ear specialist beloved by patients, colleagues