Scope of Western Surgical Techniques to Correct Cleft Lip and Palate Prior to the 18th Century

Abstract

Objectives

To present the state of knowledge and surgical practice concerning cleft lip and palate leading to the modern era.

Design

Bibliographical review.

Setting

Analysis of the scientific medical, surgical, and odontological literature from the 16th to 18th centuries.

Results

Texts and art confirm the existence of cleft lip and palate from antiquity in all cultures; however, the first certain references in Western scientific literature did not appear until the works of Celsus (ca. 25 BC to AD 50) and Galen (AD 129 to 200). Indications for cleft lip surgery appear in the Middle Ages with Albucasis (936 to 1013) and Yperman (1260 to 1332). From the Renaissance period onward, and with the invention of the printing press, numerous authors described their own surgical methods.

Conclusions

Given the limitations imposed by pain and infection, the authors of the Modern Age focus on correcting the functional and esthetic defect of the lip with techniques that do not differ greatly from those described in the Middle Ages. The treatment for cleft palate was limited to the creation of “obturators” and surgery for cleft palate was not possible until the 19th century.