Acute epiglottitis: historical highlights and perspectives for future research.

Acute epiglottitis was classified under more than 35 headings before 1960. It is the purpose of this article to review and examine the crucial events that have marked, but also often impeded, the conceptualization of this disease. As is the case for other diseases, the history of acute epiglottitis depended upon the evolution of technology in medicine. From this review the author has produced a "catalogue raisonné" of material snatched from the immensity of obsolete publications. It can be considered as an overview of the historical highlights of this very peculiar disease, acute epiglottitis. It also stresses areas of potential research, as our medical forefathers had imagination but lacked the technical capabilities which are now at our disposal. Finally, it gives the reader a unique opportunity to glance at the making of otolaryngology.