ABSTRACT
This book, the original concept of the named authors, Philip Stell and Arnold Maran, is a reflection of the modern history of head and neck surgery: continuous innovation through the integration of knowledge, imagination and teamwork of health-care professionals from a variety of disciplines committed to the treatment of head and neck tumours. The pace of change in the treatment of head and neck tumours has accelerated in the last two to three decades with a remarkable transition from predominantly ablative surgery to combined therapies focused on preservation of the form and function of the anatomic structures of the head and neck. This chapter will summarize the history of head and neck surgery, with information gleaned from published summaries of this history and original articles.1
