Sir Morell Mackenzie (1837–1892) was one of the first doctors in Britain to explore the field of laryngology, diseases and injuries of the vocal apparatus and larynx. In 1863 he opened a free dispensary for the treatment of throat diseases. The dispensary became so successful that two years later it became the Hospital for Diseases of the Throat. By the 1880s Mackenzie was the leading London specialist in the field, and a well known figure in society. In 1887 Mackenzie attended Crown Prince Frederick of Germany, who had discovered a lump in his throat. Mackenzie mistakenly thought the lump to be non-malignant, but it grew and caused Frederick’s death several months later. Mackenzie had supported Frederick’s decision not to undergo surgery, and was subsequently attacked for incompetence by German medical circles.