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Murder most foul, strange and unnatural

Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare at the very beginning of the 17th century has definite otological interest. The whole play is about young Prince Hamlet’s revenge for his father’s murder. The king is killed by Hamlet’s wicked uncle, who then...

From Hippocrates to COVID-19: sniffing out the disease

The ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates, used the ‘art of smell’ to diagnose diseases around 400BC. He also formulated miasmatic theory, which posited that disease is caused by bad smells. Bad air was strongly believed by many physicians to be the...

History of ENT - Murder most foul, strange and unnatural

Hamlet written by William Shakespeare at the very beginning of the 17th century has definite otological interest. The whole play is about young Prince Hamlet’s revenge for his father’s murder. The king is killed by Hamlet’s wicked uncle, who then...

Diaphanoscopy of the paranasal sinuses (Halloween in ENT Practice)

Since time immemorial, humans have tried to enhance the limited capabilities of their sense organs. It would be a clear advantage to be able to see through objects and discern what lies inside or behind them! This concept of transillumination...

From battlefield to homefront: how the First World War shifted perceptions of deafness

The First World War marked a pivotal moment in the understanding and treatment of hearing loss and deafness. Prior to the war, deafness had been largely attributed to congenital causes. This view was influenced by a negative eugenic Darwinist ideology...

Cancer genetics and signalling pathways in ENT – a review and discussion of how this can be applied to rare tumours

Introduction Cancer cases continue to increase worldwide, and­­ head and neck cancer is a major global health issue, with an estimated global burden of over 630,000 new cases and over 350,000 deaths per year [1]. The term ‘head and neck...

TORS for patients with sleep-disordered breathing

Transoral robotic surgery is now a well-accepted technique in malignant tumours of the tongue base. Here the team from St Mary’s and the Royal National Throat Nose & Ear Hospital in London describe its use in carefully selected patients with...

History of photography in otorhinolaryngology in the 19th Century

In this final article of the History of ENT edition, João Clode introduces us to the history of medical photography in the 19th century, giving us some fascinating early examples of otorhinolaryngology photographs. Medical photography – the early years The...

What’s new in laryngology: the next 10 years!

At a time of unprecedented technological advances, Taran Tatla and Jonathan Fishman gaze into the laryngological crystal ball… Introduction The recent explosion in science, technology and innovation takes us into a new era, with the opportunity and capability to transform...