Some time ago, wishing information on edema of the larynx, I was surprised to find that textbooks passed over the subject with scant attention and that the information which I wished was not readily available. I therefore decided to undertake my own investigation and have recorded the historical and experimental findings in this paper.
HISTORY
The existence of edema of the larynx has been known and observations made on it for centuries. The first recorded account of the condition appears to be that of Hippocrates,1 who described a serious and a dangerous type of angina, sudden in onset and producing marked dyspnea but showing no signs of its presence when one looked into the throat. Hajek2 pointed out that it was recognized by Aretaeus3 and later by Cornelius Celsus,4 who both described the symptoms but could not see anything in the living patient to account for them, although they saw