Professor Douglas Paterson Bryce delivered his Semon Lecture on the 4th of November 1971 at the Royal Society of Medicine. He stated that the development of frequent and severe damage to the larynx and trachea was a recent problem. For this he called for laryngologists to be part of emergency teams, as trauma is three times more frequent from intubation than external trauma. Bryce outlined the surgical options available and noted that they are seldom successful and so posed the obstacles and difficulties as a challenge to those in attendance.
Journal article version of the lecture
Douglas Bryce was born in Toronto, Canada, on the 27th of May 1917. He was the first to graduate from the Toronto Otolaryngology Program and then went on to become Otolaryngologist-in-Chief and the first full time professor at the Toronto General Hospital. He was one of the pioneers in North America in using conservative radiotherapy and salvage surgery for treating laryngeal cancer. Bryce, due to his successful career, was also elected as President of a number of societies, including the American Head and Neck Society.