WHAT IS known today as polypoid adenoma of the bronchus was observed and recorded by Laennec in his treatise on ausculation. Laennec1wrote: It is rare for polypoid excrescences to develop on the mucous membrane of the bronchi; only three examples are known to me. It seems that these excrescences are of the type of vascular polyps of the nose, ears and uterine cervix, that is to say, they are formed by tissue analogous to the mucous membrane containing small serous cysts. The literature contains a reference to Mueller,2who accidentally found an instance of the condition at autopsy but ignored completely Laennec's observation. After the appearance of Mueller's article the disease was identified by pathologists, and after the introduction of the bronchoscope it was recognized in the clinic. Chiefly American and British physicians are responsible for the interest evinced in the disease. Patterson3and Yankauer4