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The ear, nose and throat anaesthesia practice of Dr John Snow (1813-58)

News of the first successful public demonstration of general anaesthesia in Boston, Massachusetts in October 1846 reached Britain in mid-December of that year. James Robinson, a London dentist, gave the first anaesthetic in the United Kingdom when, on 19 December,...

In memory of Iain Swan 1952–2025

Iain Swan. Iain Swan was a Senior Lecturer in Otorhinolaryngology, University of Glasgow and Consultant Otorhinolaryngologist, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Scottish Section MRC Institute of Hearing Research 1986-2016. Iain had a happy childhood growing up in Carbeth and attended school...

The first compact auriscope: the 1865 speculum auris of Dr Brunton

Bringing light into darkness can also be a task for the physician. With the advent of endoscopy (initially by reflecting light into body cavities), new methods of diagnosis and treatment became available to the otologist. In 1865, the Scotsman John...

Peter McKelvie 1932 – 2026

Peter McKelvie, an outstanding head & neck surgeon and oncologist, died on 6 February aged 93. He suffered a spontaneous subdural haemorrhage. British otolaryngology has lost the most remarkable talent of his generation. He combined a prodigious intellect with effortless...