Normal and Abnormal Swallowing

It is now 11 years since the publication of the first edition of Normal and Abnormal Swallowing: Imaging in Diagnosis and Therapy. These 11 years have seen an enormous change in the specialty of the study of dysphagia. First, we have seen the tragic loss of two of the pioneering giants in the field: Wylie J. Dodds, MD, of the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and Martin W. Donner, MD, of The lohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, a former coeditor of this book. Second, there has been a steady expansion in the number of professionals interested in and working in this spe- cialty. The last 11 years have also seen the steady growth of the multidiscipli- nary journal Dysphagia, devoted to swallowing and its disorders, as well as the formation of the Dysphagia Research Society, which held its tenth annual meeting in October 2001. The dysphagia special interest division (SID 13) of the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) now has some 3,000 members. At the same time, the world population is aging. Dysphagia will be an important health issue in this aging population.