I made my first attempts upon a skull, to which I attached a
plaster-of-Paris model of the voicebox, the whole being fastened to an
iron stand. The instrument I used was a concave reflector on a spectacle
frame. The reflector had a hole in the centre, and was capable of being
moved in various directions. The next thing was the little mirror
described on page 73, and lastly, a gas lamp on the principle of the
well-known "Queen's" reading lamps, which can be raised or lowered at
pleasure. I placed the skull to the left of the lamp, and looking with
my right eye through the hole in the centre of the reflector, practised
throwing the light swiftly and with certainty into the upper part of the
throat. I then introduced the little spy mirror, and tried to see and to
recognize the various parts of the voicebox, which, let it be
remembered, present a somewhat different appearance in the looking-glass
from what they do if seen without it. Then I got a friend to mark my
artificial voicebox, unknown to me, in various ways, and endeavoured
quickly to discover what he had done. In this way I soon acquired a
considerable amount of skill in handling the instrument, and also became
thoroughly familiar with the image of the voicebox in the mirror.[M]
Having thus to a large extent mastered the mechanical part of my work, I
proceeded to make observations upon myself. I placed to the left of the
lamp an ordinary bedroom looking-glass, in which now appeared my own
face instead of the skull which hitherto occupied this place. I opened
my mouth, and by the help of the reflector directed the light into the
image of it in the looking-glass. I then continued in every way as I
had done with the skull, with this difference, however, that I had
first, as pointed out before, to warm the little spy mirror in order to
prevent its becoming dimmed in the throat.
An instrument has since been designed by the late Dr. G. D. Foulis, of
Glasgow, which for simplicity, general excellence, and cheapness, far
surpasses the above contrivance, and which I strongly recommend to
intending students of laryngoscopy. It consists of a plain stand on
which is placed a glass globe filled with water, the whole being
surmounted by a small square mirror. The rays from a lamp or candle,
placed behind the globe, are concentrated into the open mouth of the
observer, who is seated in front of it, enabling him, by the use of an
ordinary throat mirror, to inspect the movements of his own vocal
ligaments.
[Illustration]
This apparatus, as shown in the annexed drawing, including a throat
mirror, and safely packed for transmission, may be had from Messrs. W.
B. Hilliard & Sons, 65, Renfield Street, Glasgow, for the very small sum
of 7s. 6d.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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