What is ENT
Otorhinolaryngology is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the surgical and medical management of conditions of the head and neck. Doctors who specialize in this area are called otorhinolaryngologists, otolaryngologists, head and neck surgeons, or ear, nose, throat surgeons.
When it started
In an article, The History of Otolaryngology From Ancient to Modern Times by EMMANUEL S. HELIDONIS, MD, FACS, the authors tell us :
Otolaryngology followed closely the path of medicine. The oldest traces of information regarding ear, nose, and throat diseases are to be found in folk medicine, which is probably the oldest form of medical practice and was perpetuated by speech rather than by writing. The history of otolaryngology can be classified into the following periods: (1) what has come down to us through the ages by way oflegends and folk medicine; (2) information from the prehistoric age (before 4000 BC); (3) the Egyptian, Minoan, and Chinese periods; (4) the Greek and Hindu periods; (51 the Roman, Byzantine, and Arabic periods; (6) the Middle Ages and the Renaissance periods; and (7) the modern period (19th and 20th centuries) .
A great number of fascinating references with regard to ear, nose, and throat diseases
are found among different people. Folklore remedies which have been used since ancient times are in use even today. Vegetables, fruits, juices of plants and snails, and the urine of bulls and humans have been used for treating numerous disorders of the head and neck area. In northern Greece in remote villages, acute otitis media is still treated by dropping human urine into the ear canal, and in western Bohemia nasal catarrh is treated by having the patient inhale a child’s warm urine. For treating diseases of the throat, folklore remedies include the use of the juice of crabs, the ashes of a burnt swallow, cabbage, nettles, garlic, sorrel, and injection of butter boiled with honey. In Morocco on the 25th of March rain water is collected to be used for curing diseases of the ear and nose. For treating epistaxis several remedies have been also used among different people, including cold water and vinegar or salt applied to the forehead of hands and feet,’ various prayers, the use of the patient’s own blood to write the words “consummatum est” on his forehead, frying one’s own blood and applying it a snuff , and various plant and animal products.The ear as an organ of reproduction is found in Indian, Mongolian, and Persian legends and also in the writings of Rabelais and Moliere.’ The size and shape of the ear was supposed to determine the character of the individuals Small ears denoted high mental ability and large ears indicated dullness. Also,large noses were connected with the sexual organs and there was thought to be a relationship between the size of the nose and the size of the penis.
What do Otolaryngologists Treat?
- Ear: Otolaryngologists are trained in the medical and surgical treatment of hearing loss, ear infections, balance disorders, ear noise (tinnitus), nerve pain, and facial and cranial nerve disorders. They also manage congenital (birth) disorders of the outer and inner ear.
- Nose: Care of the nasal cavity and sinuses is one of the primary skills of otolaryngologists. Otolaryngologists diagnose, manage and treat allergies, sinusitis, smell disorders, polyps, and nasal obstruction due to a deviated septum. They can also correct the appearance of the nose (rhinoplasty surgery).
- Throat: Otolaryngologists have expertise in managing diseases of the larynx (voice box) and the upper aero-digestive tract or esophagus, including voice and swallowing disorders.
- Head and Neck: In the head and neck area, otolaryngologists are trained to treat infectious diseases, both benign and malignant (cancerous) tumors, facial trauma, and deformities of the face. They perform both cosmetic plastic and reconstructive surgery.