A Review on the History of ‘Thyroid Surgery’

The history of thyroid surgery is both interesting and illustrative. The ambitions of a thyroid surgeon have evolved along the length of time. The objective of this article is to give an idea about the evolution of thyroid surgery thus giving inspiration to future surgeons in their quest for a perfect technique, which would take into consideration disease elimination and maintenance of physiology and cosmesis. The history of thyroid surgery back to as early as 952 AD, when Albucasis first performed the surgery. Thereafter, the course of this surgery had its crests and troughs. At one point of time, surgeons refused to perform this surgery because of the complications. But later on, surgeons like Billroth and Kocher gave this procedure a new leash of life, after which this surgery became popular and underwent numerous modifications to where now it stands. History reveals that thyroid surgery has travelled a long path in time. From an operation which once was considered dreadful to the present times when techniques are being tried to make the incision as small as possible. The quest is still on to develop the perfect technique.