SIR FELIX SEMON Sir Felix Semon was born in Prussia

in 1849.

He enrolled as Medical Student in 1868 and after graduating at Berlin, his father gave him a small allowance to enable him to spend a year in postGraduate study at London. At that time Opthalomogy was an over crowded speciality so he was advised to learn something about the new field of laryngology. He joined as clinical assistant. At that time it was the practice in London teaching hospital to use the throat department as a stepping stone for young up coming man in the major specialities. Semon seized this opportunity for training in laryngology with open arm and when after 6 months he was offered a post of clinical assistant, he accepted it and decided to stay in London and not to return to Berlin and later on, become the first real laryngologist to be appointed to the staff of a london teaching hospital but was specifically forbidden ever to make an external incision. He was only allowed to operate inside the throat so with the aid of general surgeon, he developed the modern operation of laryngofissure for early cancer of the larynx and made quite extravagant claims for the thyrotomy operation giving his cure rate as 80%. He always and probably wisely engaged services of fully trained surgical assistant when he operated. He was one of the first to emphasize the importance of vocal rest in tuberculosis of the larynx. Semon pursued research on the innervation of the larynx resulted in the elaboration of Semon's law, which state that "in all progressive organic lesion of the centres and trunks of the motor laryngeal nerves, the fibres supplying the abductors of vocal cords become involved much earlier than do the adductors." Semon's law does not decide the position of cord absolutely nor it determines the site of lesion but yet it is a useful guide.

pointed Physician to King Edward VII in 1901. Semon was knighted in 1897. He retired from

active practice in 1909 at the zenith of his career. His first year of retirement was spent on a world cruise. His later years were clouded by wave of anti German hysteria which swept through out England during first world war. Semon died in 1921. Compiled by : Dr. Vikas Sinha,

Associate Professor E.N.T. B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad - 380 016.

As Semon had no post graduate experience in operative work, he was not given permission to operate, so he found it increasingly frustating to refer the cases to the surgeons who did not accept Semon's plan for management, and ultimately Semon resigned. He had most fashionable laryngological practice in London. He was ap& HNSNr7L 47 NCB 2 July-Sant 19.95

9AQ