Hemiglossectomy, a procedure that involves the removal of a portion of the tongue, is commonly used today to treat oral cancer. However, in the 18th and 19th centuries, this invasive surgery was employed for a very different purpose: to treat stuttering.
During this time, physicians believed that the tongue was the primary cause of speech impediments like stuttering. As a result, they devised a treatment that involved surgically removing part of the tongue in an attempt to correct the speech issue. Unfortunately, this method proved to be highly ineffective and even dangerous.
Not only did the surgery often fail to improve the patient’s speech, but it also posed significant risks. Patients who underwent hemiglossectomy for stuttering faced the potential for severe bleeding, infection, and complications related to anesthesia. In some cases, the procedure could even prove fatal.
