[I. Methods for investigation of the voice (author's transl)]

A survey of possibilities and methods for examining voices in otorhinolaryngologic practise is given as an introduction to a series of articles on applied phoniatrics. In the present review, an attempt is made to demonstrate a pragmatic view of diagnosis and therapy for phoniatric disorders. The voice as the carrier of human speech is considered to be an expression of the total personaltiy so that the phoniatric investigation cannot be resitrcted to disturbed laryngeal function alone. All aspects of the voice as it relates to the individual and his surroundings are included within the diagnostic evaluation.