[Armand Trousseau, laryngologist].

Abstract

Trousseau's contribution to laryngology was considerable, but it was eclipsed by his reputation in other fields. His work in the field was not limited to the diffusion of tracheotomy for the treatment of croup, despite opposition from certain surgeons. He totally transformed the intervention, which up until then had been undertaken without any specific methodology, into a controlled procedure with principles that still apply today. He undertook the study of chronic diseases of the larynx and wrote the first work dedicated to this pathology, before the arrival of laryngoscopy. He reported the first recorded and illustrated case of laryngeal cancer for which he himself performed a tracheotomy. Laryngeal pathology was an important centre of interest throughout his career. With the arrival of laryngoscopy at the end of his professional life, Armand Trousseau had left a lifetime's work that facilitated the expansion of the new generation of laryngology. He could be considered as the first medico-surgical laryngologist, mastering both an in-depth knowledge of the organ, its medicine, and surgery, which at that time was limited to tracheotomy.

• Authors: François Legent
• Journal: Histoire des sciences medicales (Hist Sci Med) 2007 Jan-Mar Vol. 41 Issue 1 Pg. 83-94 ISSN: 0440-8888 [Print] France
• Vernacular Title: Armand Trousseau laryngologiste.
• PMID: 17992833 (Publication Type: Biography, English Abstract, Historical Article, Journal Article)

Topics

• Croup (history, surgery)
• France
• History, 19th Century
• Humans
• Laryngeal Diseases (history)
• Otolaryngology (history)
• Tracheotomy (history)