Richard Luchsinger (1900–1993) was a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

medical doctor who made early contributions to the field of

Speech Language Pathology Speech is a human vocal communication using language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans ...

, specifically in "phoniatry" or the study of voice. He was born in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and specialized in

otorhinolaryngology Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical a ...

. His most notable contribution to the field of voice was a textbook that he published with Dr. Gottfried E. Arnold. The textbook was originally published in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, however the second edition, published in 1965, was translated into English under the title: ''Voice-Speech-Language''. Although the text was written over 40 years ago, the topics covered in the text are quite similar to those that would be covered in a contemporary voice textbook, which shows how much further along the study of phoniatry was compared to other subdivisions of

at the time. For example, topics covered in this text included:

speech Speech is a human vocal communication using language. Each language uses Phonetics, phonetic combinations of vowel and consonant sounds that form the sound of its words (that is, all English words sound different from all French words, even if ...

acoustics Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...

, observational methods, treatment of laryngeal electromyography, physiology of respiration and voice production, genetic factors in voice, development of voice throughout the lifespan, professional voice,

voice therapy Voice therapy consists of techniques and procedures that target vocal parameters, such as vocal fold closure, pitch, volume, and quality. This therapy is provided by speech-language pathologists and is primarily used to aid in the management of v ...

; pathology of the

larynx The larynx (), commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the top of the neck involved in breathing, producing sound and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. The opening of larynx into pharynx known as the laryngeal inlet is about ...

nodules Nodule may refer to: *Nodule (geology), a small rock or mineral cluster *Manganese nodule, a metallic concretion found on the seafloor *Nodule (medicine), a small aggregation of cells *Root nodule Root nodules are found on the roots of plants, p ...

, asymmetries, genetic defects of voice and laryngeal web, sulcus glottides, voice related

endocrine The endocrine system is a messenger system comprising feedback loops of the hormones released by internal glands of an organism directly into the circulatory system, regulating distant target organs. In vertebrates, the hypothalamus is the neu ...

problems, the effects of peripheral nerve lesions, the

sympathetic nervous system The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is one of the three divisions of the autonomic nervous system, the others being the parasympathetic nervous system and the enteric nervous system. The enteric nervous system is sometimes considered part of th ...

; laryngeal myopathy, central lesions of the nervous system, laryngeal trauma, cordectomy,

joint disorder An arthropathy is a disease of a joint. Types Arthritis is a form of arthropathy that involves inflammation of one or more joints, while the term arthropathy may be used regardless of whether there is inflammation or not. Joint diseases can be cla ...

s, alaryngeal voice, vasomotor effects on vocal fold function, functional dysphonias, contact ulcers,

ventricular voice Harsh voice, also called ventricular voice or (in some high-tone registers) pressed voice, is the production of speech sounds (typically vowels) with a constricted laryngeal cavity, which generally involves epiglottal co-articulation. Harsh voic ...

, and psychogenic voice disorders. Luchsinger founded one of the first scholarly journals devoted to the study of voice, called the ''Folia Phoniatrica''. He also founded the ''Swiss Society for Phoniatrics, Logopedics, and Audiology''. Luchsinger published more than 120 research articles, ranging in topic from Cri Du Chat Syndrome to laryngeal surgery. He continued to be an active participant in the

community until his death in 1993.

References

D. Cooper. ''Richard Luchsinger (1900–1993): An appreciation'', Journal of Voice, Volume 11, Issue 3, Pages 249–253. Luchsinger, R., Arnold, G.E. Voice-Speech-Language. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing, 1965. {{DEFAULTSORT:Luchsinger, Richard 1900 births 1993 deaths Otolaryngologists Swiss surgeons Speech and language pathologists 20th-century surgeons