Historical Sketch Casserius and the secret of the cicada's voice

Although Aristotle already noticed that the sound‐production of cicadas was achieved by a different mode than that of locusts or crickets it took almost 2000 years before the tymbal apparatus was first described by Casserius (1552?–1616). This achievement by an anatomist who mostly worked on humans was then forgotten for centuries. The tymbal was rediscovered in the 18th century and its function debated up to the late 19th century. This short sketch provides material for further appreciation and dissemination of this pioneering work. It is dedicated to Casserius' genius and the wondrous path of scientific progress. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)