Manuel P. García and the history of the laryngoscope

ABSTRACT

Many people have never heard of Manuel García; others know him as an artist and singing teacher of exceptional qualities; yet others had heard of him as an extraordinary researcher and the first scientist to investigate the voice.

Manuel Patricio García is chiefly known as the man who invented the laryngeal mirror, the first person to carry out a dynamic assessment of phonation, and therefore the founder of laryngology. The main facts in his extensive biography are reviewed, covering his career as a singer, a teacher and a scientist; The invention of the laryngoscope and the failed attempts; his famous family, including his father, Manuel García, and his sisters María Malibrán and Paulina Viardot; and his extensive oeuvre.

CITATION  An R Acad Nac Med (Madr). 2006;123(4):897-911; discussion 911-4