Definition of Laryngoscopy

Laryngoscopy: Examination of the larynx with a mirror (indirect laryngoscopy) or with a laryngoscope (direct laryngoscopy).

The laryngoscope is a flexible, lighted tube used to look at the inside of the larynx (the voice box). The laryngoscope is inserted through the mouth into the upper airway.

History: The laryngoscope was invented in 1830 by Benjamin Guy Babington, a British physician who also first described the disease now called hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia and who made considerable contributions to epidemiology. (Babington in 1837 was appointed as physician to Guy's Hospital in London in preference to Thomas Hodgkin whose name is today associated with Hodgkin disease).

Etymology: The word "laryngoscope" was compounded from "laryngo-" + the Greek "skopeo," to inspect = to inspect the larynx. The word "larynx" is a direct borrowing from the Greek for the upper part of the airway.