Lhe Laryngoscope. 21 
which the modulations of the human voice are effected. 
Any one curious on the matter has only to seat himself 
before a large looking-glass, and hold at the back of his 
own throat, a little mirror of this description ; arranging 
his position as to the light, he may then really see inside his 
own wind-pipe. Or he may get a friend to seat himself 
before him, and allow him to try to look down his throat, 
but this is more difficult: Ist. because the light cannot be 
so easily directed; 2nd. because the experimenter is more 
likely to tickle his friend’s throat too much. These diffi- 
culties are overcome by a little contrivance and a little 
practice. Thus, instead of daylight a lamp may be used, 
and with this, a condensing lens to throw the light into 
the person's mouth; by this means more light is obtained 
for use—the throat is, in fact, brilliantly illuminated, and if 
this be done in a dark room, a little patience will enable 
any one, by means of the small laryngoscopal mirror— 
which, by the bye, must be warmed, otherwise the breath 
will instantly condense upon and obscure it—to see the 
interior of the throat. It is not at all surprising that 
medical men should be the foremost to avail themselves of 
this method of investigation. It is to them, in fact, we 
owe the instrument, as we do so many other valuable dis- 
coveries, and they have already found it of great service 
in discovering and curing disease. 
About 1858 and 1859 the German medical journals con- 
tained numerous allusions to experiments going forward at 
the hospitals at Vienna, with a view of looking into the 
interior of the wind-pipe, and in 1860, Professor Czermak, 
of Prague, published a small volume, entitled, “Der 
Kehlkopfspiegel,” in which he describes this instrument as 
he had then perfected it and gave the results of his in- 
vestigations. Indeed, although fully acknowledging the 
merits of Garcia who had long preceded him,* as well as 
others, Czermark put forth a claim to be considered the 
inventor, though not in the sense, of him who first conceives 
and partially carries out any practical application of the 
idea which may be originated elsewhere. This claim in spite 
of the utmost opposition, he has, to a great extent, made 
good, for to him the medical faculty owes the practical use 
of the instrument in the discovery and treatment of dis- 
ease, and he has accumulated more important information 
on this branch, than any other exnerimenter. This aspect, 
* “ Observations on the Human Voice,” “ Philosophical Trans- 
actions. 
