Historical outline of oncologic surgery in the maxillofacial area

SUMMARY: The Father of Maxillofacial Surgery is General Surgery and not Oral Surgery, as it may seem from a clinical point of view. General Surgery was the precursor of the specialty of Maxillofacial Surgery since the era of the Hippocratics and up to the end of the 18th century and the begining of the 19th century, having as pioneers eminent general surgeons, such as Heister, von Graefe, C. Langenbeck, Syme, Dupuytren,Roux, Chassaignak, Hulihen, Mott, Billroth, B. Langen -beck, Kocher, Macewen, Albert, Broca, and others.The range of action of the a forementioned surgeons included mostly (in 80% of the cases) surgical procedures in the maxillofacial area, mainly in the fields of Traumatology (facial fractures), Osteoplasty, reconstructive surgery (cleft lip and cleft palate operations),and the treatment of tumors.In the present article the historical elements connected with the roots of Oncologic Surgery in the maxillofacial area are outlined, an activity developed by the general surgeons of these eras, which are at the same time the pioneers of modern Maxillofacial Surgery.