Pediatric Otolaryngology: the Maturation of a Pediatric Surgical Subspecialty

Objectives/Hypothesis: To review the historical development of pediatric otolaryngology as a surgical subspecialty and to compare and contrast this historical development with that of pediatric surgery and pediatric urology. Study Design: Literature search. Methods: A sequential comparison of these three surgical subspecialties was undertaken in terms of their early origins and founding physicians, sections and societies, standardization of training and accreditation, official recognition, and certification. Supportive materials were obtained via a literature search using the PubMed database from 1950 to the present, supplemented by archived material from the libraries of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and the Countway Library of the Harvard Medical School. Results: Pediatric surgery, urology, and otolaryngology have taken somewhat parallel but also disparate paths toward surgical subspecialty establishment. Conclusions: Pediatric otolaryngology, despite its many accomplishments, lags behind its surgical and urologic brethren from both an accreditation and certification standpoint.