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Opening ceremonies – a necessary evil?

This series of stories is dedicated to those of you with whom some of these moments were shared (or endured) and, above all, to my amazing and long-suffering husband, David Howard. Most of you know him as an exceptional head...

Operating abroad

I have always taken the view that one is better operating in a familiar environment, with scrub-nurses and anaesthetists that one knows, to say nothing of the equipment required and, most importantly ensuring the most appropriate pre- and postoperative care...

BACO and banquet speeches

BACO International is about to take place in Glasgow, 1–3 July 2026. To coincide with ENT UK’s historic flagship conference covering all aspects of our speciality, I thought that readers might be interested in a few words about its history...

FESSing up

This story is dedicated to my dear friend and much-missed colleague, Heinz Stammberger, with whom some of these moments were shared (or endured). Having used a rigid endoscope in my postgrad thesis in the early 1980s to show that the...

Is there a doctor in the house?

Occasionally at medical meetings, a member of the audience will be unfortunate enough to fall ill. An elderly ex-obstetrician of the Queen had a transient ischaemic attack at the podium of the Royal Society of Medicine in front of a...

Monkey business

Professor Sir Donald Harrison (DFNH) had a strong interest in comparative anatomy of the larynx, which was supported by a close relationship with the London Zoo who provided specimens from any mammals in the collection that died and had undergone...