Serendipity in oto-rhino-laryngology

This article reviews eight serendipitous findings in oto-rhino-laryngology important to its advancement.MethodThe following serendipitous findings are discussed: the accidental discovery of the laryngeal mirror and indirect laryngoscopy by Garcia (1854), the invention of direct oesophagoscopy by Ku ßmaul (circa 1868), Czermák’s (1863) development of diaphanoscopy, the unintentional emergence of bronchography from a clinical error made by Weingartner (1914), adenotomy by Meyer (1869), the discovery of the causes of unbalance related to the vestibular nerve by Flourens (1830), Bárány’s ( 1914) finding that the semi-circular canal reflex is involved in equilibrium, and the relationship between gastroesophageal reflux and middle-ear infections by Poelmans and Feenstra (2002).DiscussionBased on these case studies we conclude that serendipity, defined as the art of making an initially unsought find, does not always appear out of nowhere. Often the researcher is already wrestling with a problem for which the serendipitous finding provides a solution. Sometimes the serendipitous finding enables the application of a known solution to a new problem. And sometimes a serendipitous finding is not recognized as such or considered unimportant. Since observations tend to be theory-loaded, having appropriate background knowledge is aconditio sine qua non to elaborate an unanticipated observation.
Source: European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Category: ENT & OMF Source Type: research