Radical dissection of structures of the neck has become well established in recent years as a safe and valuable surgical procedure for squamous-cell carcinoma of the lip and of the oral cavity and larynx. The value of the procedure has been acknowledged since pioneer surgeons, especially Crile,1 in 1906, proposed it. However, it has not always been a safe operation, for the mortality rate has been high and the recurrence rate of the carcinoma at the primary site and in the neck also has been high. The earlier surgeons met with failure, not because they could not use the scalpel, but because they lacked the surgical aids that are available today. Because survivors were few, surgical measures gave way to radiation therapy early in the century. With the modern surgical aids of anesthesia, blood transfusions, chemotherapy, and antibiotic therapy, and with augmented knowledge of anatomy and physiology, the surgeon