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Wilde and the foundations of medical epidemiology

William Wilde (father of Oscar) was renowned as an otologist, but less well known for his work in epidemiology. The bedrock of the modern discipline of public health is good data collection, and we hear from our good friend, Ray...

Chocolates for laryngectomees

When The Chocolate Line in Bruges, Belgium, was approached by the charity, Shout at Cancer, there was always going to be something very special and innovative in the pipeline! Shout at Cancer’s Thomas Moors has been chatting with Julius Persoone,...

The future role of technology in rhinology

Technology is moving our speciality forward very rapidly in all domains, but none more so than in rhinology. David Whitehead looks at current and future trends. How will a surgeon justify their position in a team where artificial intelligence (AI)...

Sushruta and Indian rhinoplasty

Vijay Pothula explains rhinoplasty’s roots in ancient Indian Ayurvedic medicine, and how it was introduced to the Western world. In 1794 The Gentleman’s Magazine published a surgical operation which was long established in India but unknown in Europe [1]. A...

Unpacking the World Health Organization’s World Report on Hearing: what does it say?

The inaugural report on hearing from the World Health Organisation is a tool for advocacy, and for getting hearing loss on government agendas. Nguyen Ngoc Bao Tran was 11 months old when her hearing loss was diagnosed. Despite being informed...

Mapping the financial and disease burden of hearing loss and associated interventions

The prevalence and burden of ear and hearing disorders is huge and, historically, has been underappreciated. Globally, unaddressed hearing loss poses a growing public health challenge, requiring urgent attention from policymakers, health professionals and civil society. The recently published World...

In conversation with Professor Valentina Parma, Head of GCCR

Smell has long been regarded as the Cinderella of the senses, oft neglected by clinicians, the research community and lay public. The Global Consortium for Chemosensory Research looks to change all that. Our roving reporter, Abigail Walker, talks to its...

Otological problems in musicians

Musicians are understandably anxious about their hearing, and recent high-profile cases of noise-related hearing loss have resulted in huge changes in the music industry. Chris Aldren (otologist and violinist) explains. In the recent Oscar-winning movie, Sound of Metal, heavy metal...

Reflux – diagnostic tools and special considerations in singers

Depending on your point of view, laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is either ubiquitous or is over-diagnosed. Are singers more prone to LPR? What are the best tests? Mark Watson and Jane Shaw tell us more. Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR: the backflow of...

Emerging robotic systems for head and neck surgery

As of December 2020, seven robotic surgical systems have received approval for use in different jurisdictions, and many more task-specific robots are in the pipeline. Jack Faulkner takes us through what’s on the horizon for head and neck cancer surgery....

Detecting cancer margins during robotic head and neck cancer surgery using ambient mass spectrometry

We have known about altered metabolism in cancer cells since Otto Warburg described it 97 years ago. But can we take advantage of this knowledge in curing cancer? Jim Higginson explains the value of smoke generated during cancer surgery. The...

Wellbeing – a Scandinavian perspective

The Swedish concept of ‘fika’ is a state of mind and can help to promote wellbeing in teams. But what is it, and how can it help? It is an interesting thought that being well is not the same as...