In two recent articles1,2 laryngeal stenosis produced in dogs by bilateral recurrent nerve division was reported to be relieved by in-activation of the cricothyroid muscle. This effect was obtained in either one of two ways: by cutting the motor branch of the superior laryngeal nerve at the site of its entrance into the muscle or by total removal of the muscle with additional resection of the inferior thyroid horn. The authors suggested the application of these experiments in the treatment of "bilateral abductor paralysis" as a substitute for the more complex current procedures. They did not refer to any similar experiments or therapeutical techniques in the literature. Identical experiments with insignificant technical differences were performed by numerous investigators in various species of animals many times during the 19th century, and in man during the last few decades.
Experiments with Animals
Legallois was the first to observe the stenosing