A laryngoscope is an instrument used to examine the larynx and vocal cords and to guide a tube into the windpipe during tracheal intubation. Manuel Garcia, a Spanish singing teacher, is often credited with building the first laryngoscope in 1854, using a small angled mirror placed at the back of his own throat and a hand mirror to reflect sunlight onto it so he could observe his own vocal cords while singing. Later physicians adapted the technique for medical use, and the laryngoscope became a standard tool in anesthesia and emergency medicine for safely inserting a breathing tube.
Facts
Significanceused to obtain a view, for example, of the vocal folds and the glottis 1 FAQs
How did Manuel Garcia manage to see his own vocal cords?
He used a hand-held mirror to send sunlight into his mouth and a small mirror at the back of his throat to reflect the image of his vocal cords out.
Manuel Garcia used two mirrors. According to one account, in September of 1854 a flash of sunlight off a window in Paris gave him the idea of using sunlight directed off a mirror to light the back of the throat. He then realized he needed a second mirror, placed at the back of the throat at the right angle, to reflect the image of his vocal cords back out of his mouth. A hand-held mirror sent the sunlight in, and the small mirror in the throat sent the image out.
Connections
Sources
1. Laryngoscopy
Body, History section
In 1854, the vocal pedagogist Manuel Garcia (1805-1906) became the first man to view the functioning glottis and larynx in a living human.
Intro
It is a medical procedure that is used to obtain a view, for example, of the vocal folds and the glottis.
In Field: Biomedical Engineering, Categories
Medical equipment
In Group: Patient Monitoring and Diagnostic Instruments, Lead paragraph
is endoscopy of the larynx, a part of the throat
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