The modern era of thyroid surgery began in the 1860s with the work of Billroth and colleagues.1 Operative techniques and results were so greatly advanced by Kocher2 and others that, by 1920, Halsted3 referred to thyroidectomy as a “feat which today can be accomplished by any competent operator without danger of mishap.” Decades later, some complications still occur. Nevertheless, with advances in diagnosis and surgical technique, thyroidectomy is one of the safest and most effective major operations performed today.