Much ado about nothing: two millenia of controversy on tongue-tie.

Tongue-tie, or ankyloglossia, is poorly defined and involves a short, thick, fibrosed, or fixed lingual frenulum. Operative interventions were proposed already in Greek medicine. In the Middle Ages, competition arose between midwives, who used their nails to detach the frenulum, and surgeons, who were allowed to use instruments. During the last century, the justification for frenotomy shifted from improved language to enhanced feeding. Despite the high frequency of the intervention, little research has been performed on its benefit, which remains a controversial topic among different groups of health professionals.

Tapia's syndrome. The erratic evolution of an eponym.

The syndrome first described in 1904 by the Spanish otolaryngologist, Antonio Garcia Tapia, has been variously interpreted by subsequent authors such that there is little current agreement as to the site of the lesion responsible for the condition or the specific symptoms included in this disorder. The confusion arose in part because Tapia's original patient had associated neurologic findings. Careful review of Tapia's reports reveals (1) that he regarded the syndrome as consisting of ipsilateral hemiplegia of the larynx and tongue with normal function of the soft palate and (2) that he believed the lesion resulting in these signs was outside the CNS.