Otorhinolaryngology
Otorhinolaryngology, or the study and treatment of the ear, nose and throat emerged as a distinct specialty in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This was in part a result of the increased acceptance of the study of anatomy, which revealed areas of the body that were previously too difficult to study. In 1854, a singing teacher, Manuel Patrico Rodriguez Garcia, obtained the first view of the larynx with a dental mirror.
Schools, journals and associations of otorhinolaryngology were established. Along with these professional trappings, practitioners found they needed specialized instruments to study and treat conditions of the ear, nose and throat.
The artifacts shown here were developed in the 1800s to fill this need. Dr. Publow, a local surgeon and otorhinolaryngologist, used them in his practice in Picton, between 1906 and 1920.
