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The Dilemma of Beethoven’s Deafness

Beethoven was one of the world’s greatest musicians, and his deafness is well known. Many details of his medical conditions are known, and various theories of his hearing loss have been proposed. Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in...

Prudent audiology

Introduction In January 2014, Professor Mark Drakeford, Minister for Health and Social Services, defined Prudent Healthcare as, “Healthcare that fits the needs and circumstances of patients and actively avoids wasteful care that is not to the patient’s benefit.” ‘Prudent’ healthcare...

Canine hearing testing and the role of otoacoustic emission tests

Otoacoustic emissions testing is an accepted method of hearing testing in humans, but have you ever considered the situation in dogs? This article discusses deafness and hearing testing in dogs and the current role of OAE testing in this species....

Ida Institute’s legacy and the future of person-centred care

Professor Kris English reflects on the IDA Institute’s closure, celebrating its legacy of advancing patient-centred care and reshaping audiological counselling worldwide. In September 2008, the Ida Institute’s Director, Lise Lotte Bundesen, and her team held its inaugural ‘Defining Hearing Seminar’...

The drive for success: from the hockey pitch to the surgical field

A hockey ball is rock hard and can travel at 100 mph. Stopping it with your most vulnerable body parts seems an excellent metaphor for higher surgical training... Four years on from the 2012 Olympics presents an ideal time to...

Migration and training: a British-Nigerian surgeon’s perspective

Less than 4% of doctors on the UK’s medical register describe their ethnicity as African or part African, yet there are myriad driving forces behind the migration of medical trainees from Africa to the UK and other developed countries. Ekpemi...

Exploring teenagers’ access and use of assistive hearing technology

Children require good signal-to-noise ratios for optimum listening and learning. The use of remote microphone technology can be of benefit, yet older children often resist using it. Jennifer Groth reviews the challenges facing older children in the use of remote...

Promoting human rights of deaf communities in low-resource settings

Stigma and misconceptions about deafness are serious impediments for many deaf people to realise rights and potential in some of the most challenging situations globally. Around 430 million people are estimated to live with moderate or higher levels of hearing...

Taking life by the throat

Patients suffering with problems with their voice, airway and/or swallowing can find their symptoms immensely distressing, and their care places a huge burden on healthcare systems. We hear from a world-leading laryngologist on current and future directions. Field of interest...

Cochlear implants and therapeutics: a natural partnership?

Global awareness of cochlear implants as a solution for hearing loss is slowly increasing and gaining acceptance. The potential for combining cochlear implants with inner ear therapeutics is immense, with promise in several areas. This article takes us on a...