Diagnosis and therapy of laryngeal diseases in the history of medicine. I: The pre-laryngoscopic era
Research article published in Laryngo- rhino- otologie (2001)
Abstract
BACKGROUND: ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY: Hippocrates and Aristotle did not yet have a clear idea of the anatomy and physiology of the larynx. 500 years later Galenos carried out subtle studies on animals and elaborated a fairly precise description of the different cartilages, muscles and nerves of the larynx; he was the first to demonstrate the superior and the recurrent nerves of the larynx. He performed numerous experiments on animals with temporary or permanent interruption of the nervous function and thus developed a correct opinion of the vocal physiology. However, he did not draw clinical conclusions from his knowledge. In the 16th century the macroscopic anatomy of the larynx was elaborated further bei Andreas Vesalius, Fabricius ab Aquapendente et al.; Jacob Henle in 1838 described the different epithelia in the larynx, based on microscopic studies. The pathology was inaugurated by Giovanni-Battista Morgagni in 1761, including the pathology of the larynx. Francis Home in Edinburgh (1765) and Pierre-Fidèle Bretonneau in Tours (1826) made the first studies on croup and diphtheria and coined these names. Fr. Hermann Albers in Bonn in 1829 published the first monography on diseases of the larynx, incorporating more than 80 relevant case reports from the literature and numerous observations of his own. The first system of the pathology of the larynx was put up by von Rokitansky in Vienna. DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPY OF DISEASES OF THE LARYNX: Before the invention of laryngoscopy the physicians could deduce the underlying disease only from the clinical symptoms like hoarseness, dyspnoea, dysphagia. The conservative therapy followed the theory of humours and included bloodletting, leeches, purgatives and emetics; the surgical procedures were blind caustery with silver nitrate and ablation of polyps guided by palpation and scarification with a knife in cases of oedema; in desperate dyspnoea endonasal intubation was attempted (Desault 1789-1803) or a tracheotomy performed. Concluding the chapters a typical patient history of 1813 with a case of purulent laryngitis where most of these measures were applied but could not avert but rather provoked the death of the patient. This historical development is described with numerous anecdotic details.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Resumen
Diagnosis and therapy of laryngeal diseases in the history of medicine. I: The pre-laryngoscopic era.
Por qué esto importa para la hirudoterapia
Este artículo histórico revisa el diagnóstico y el tratamiento de las enfermedades laríngeas antes de la invención del laringoscopio. Detalla cómo los tratamientos conservadores de las afecciones laríngeas se guiaban históricamente por la teoría de los humores e incluían de forma sistemática la aplicación de sanguijuelas, junto con sangrías, purgantes y eméticos. Esto proporciona documentación histórica directa sobre cómo los médicos empleaban las sanguijuelas medicinales para tratar afecciones específicas de las vías respiratorias superiores y del tracto vocal en la era médica premoderna. Sin embargo, la conexión del artículo con la hirudoterapia es estrictamente histórica y anecdótica dentro de una revisión más amplia de la laringología. No ofrece datos clínicos modernos, información biológica sobre el secretoma de la sanguijuela ni métricas de eficacia para la investigación contemporánea de ASH.
Citación
Diagnosis and therapy of laryngeal diseases in the history of medicine. I: The pre-laryngoscopic era
Feldmann H et al. · Laryngo- rhino- otologie, 2001
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Añadido a la biblioteca ASH: May 27, 2026 · Última actualización del sitio: 18 de junio de 2026