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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,...

In memory of Iain Swan 1952–2025

Iain Swan. Iain Swan was a Senior Lecturer in Otorhinolaryngology, University of Glasgow and Consultant Otorhinolaryngologist, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Scottish Section MRC Institute of Hearing Research 1986-2016. Iain had a happy childhood growing up in Carbeth and attended school...

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...

Kallmann’s Syndrome

‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.’ (Shakespeare) Kallmann’s Syndrome (KS), or hereditary hypogonadal anosmia, is a rare genetic disorder characterised by delayed or absent puberty and anosmia. It is named after Franz Kallmann, but he was...

Planes, trams, and auditoriums: Beware predatory conferencing

Predatory conferences are a growing concern. First highlighted in our sister magazine, Eye News*, the issue affects all areas of medicine – including ENT and audiology. With inboxes filling up with flattering invitations to ‘global’ meetings in glamorous destinations, it’s...

Planes, trams, and auditoriums: Beware predatory conferencing

Predatory conferences are a growing concern. First highlighted in our sister magazine, Eye News*, the issue affects all areas of medicine – including ENT and audiology. With inboxes filling up with flattering invitations to ‘global’ meetings in glamorous destinations, it’s...

OBITUARY: Remembering Thomas J Balkany 1948 - 2025

Helen Cullington, our Specialty Editor – Audiology (implantables), pays tribute to a pioneer. Back in 1996 – having worked as a cochlear implant audiologist for three years in the UK – I felt ready for a new challenge. I faxed(!)...

Fall prevention in the elderly population

A fall in later life can have a catastrophic impact on a person’s quality of life. Lilian Felipe explains how falls prevention programmes and vestibular rehabilitation can help.

Towards AI-assisted RF hearing aids

The development of effective hearing-assistive devices is essential as the prevalence of deafness grows with an ageing population. Where can AI support speech understanding? A team from the University of Glasgow discusses how lip‑reading hearing aids could be the future....