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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,...

How the earwig got its name

What are earwigs, and how are they connected with the ear? Amr Abdelhamid explains the etymology, myths and beliefs behind the pesky creature with the otological name. Earwigs are harmless insects of the order Dermaptera that are amongst the most...

A legendary ‘parotid adenoma’: teaching aid or trophy? & The stapes: a classical heresy

A legendary ‘parotid adenoma’: teaching aid or trophy? A wander through the glass cases of the newly refurbished Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons in London presents a particularly impressive sight to any ENT surgeon. The salivary adenoma...

History of innovation in ENT

Innovation seems to have been in the strapline of every meeting, conference and course for the last few years. You would be forgiven for thinking it is a new a concept, but as Neil Weir beautifully details, innovation has been...

The first nine months: why early hearing matters more than ever

Why 1-3-6 and 9? They are arguably crucial intervention stages. Here, new science is explored which weaves together the threads of early intervention. Imagine a newborn gazing at their caregiver’s face, hearing their voice and feeling the rhythm of their...

The development of endoscopic sinus surgery – a meeting of three great minds

The story of the development of endoscopic sinus surgery is inextricably linked with the names of Stammberger, Messerklinger and Storz. Karl Storz’s daughter, Sybill Storz, tells us more. We would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation of...

Paediatric obstructive sleep apnoea

As tonsillectomy rates for recurrent sore throats have declined, there has been increasing recognition of the importance of OSA in children. Not always diagnosed early – or in some cases at all – and with continuing debate as to how...

Measuring the pitch and loudness of tinnitus

Matching the characteristics of tinnitus Many researchers and clinicians have explored the subjective nature of tinnitus by asking people with tinnitus to adjust a sound so that it matches their tinnitus in some way. This can be useful both for...

Questionnaires to measure tinnitus severity

The handicap associated with tinnitus can arise from any combination of stress, anxiety, depression, emotional distress, insomnia, difficulties concentrating, or impairments in quality of life or everyday functioning. Measuring such handicap and determining clinical need is therefore far from trivial....