Abstract
This paper reviews the development and present status of modern laryngology and gives some prospects for future progress. The First International Voice Conference held in 1957 gave the initial impact upon the development of modern laryngology. Another impact was given by the establishment of the Voice Foundation in 1972. Over the past four decades, revolutionary progresses have taken place in the studies of structure and vibration of the vocal fold, muscular function and vocal fold adjustments, neurolaryngology, phonosurgery and evaluation of the vocal function. Major topics for future investigations are growth, aging and individual variations of the larynx and its function, neural mechanisms of the larynx, treatments of vocal fold scar, sulcus vocalis and spasmodic dysphonia, functional surgeries for the laryngectomized, and international standardization of clinical voice tests.
