The beginnings of surgical treatment of tumours of the head and neck date back to the period of development of general anaesthesia in the 19th century. Contemporary modem oncosurgery of the head and neck in its present form developed however mainly in the 20th century, in particular after the Second world war. According to available literatury the first chordectomy (removal of the vocal cords) was made in 1834 by Brauers in Belgium, the hrst vertical laryngectomy in 1851 by Buck in New York. Reconstrnction of the larynx after vertical laryngectomy as performed nowadays was described in 1965 by Sedláček. Horizontal supraglottic laryngectomy in its present form was described in 1940-1950 by Alonso. Total laryngectomy was performed for the first time by Billroth in 1873, classical total laryngectomy by a technikoe very Glose to tkat used nowadays was described as late as in 1890 by Sorenson. Extensive tumours of the hypopharynx and cervical oesophagus esere made on a larger stale only in the 20th century when reconstructive surgery began to develop. The first standardized block dissection of the cervical nodes was described in 1906 by Crile. In the sixties of the 20th century Bocca described the principle of functional block dissection, in the eighties Lindenberg described the theory on the relationship between affection of the cervical nodes and the primary tumour. Contemporary classification of block dissections of the cervical nodes finto complete and selective ones was suggested by Medina (after modifications accepted as optimal by the subcommission for the classification of cervical dissections by the American committee for otolaryngology and surger of the head and neck in 1991). As to modem aspects of the oncology of head and neck shunt surgery is mentioned and vocal prostheses in patients after total laryngectomy and the principle of so-called preserving protokols which make fit possible in some instances to save the patients from total laryngectomy.

        Key words: history - surgical treatment - tumours of head and neck - laryngectomy - voice prostheses- preserving protokol.