Poor working conditions, long hours, low pay – and the prospect of a dangerous and disfiguring osteonecrosis of the jaw. These were the triggers for the 1400 ‘matchgirls’ of the Bryant and May factory to strike in July 1888, a...
The aetiological role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is well established, and its incidence has massively increased over the last decade, whilst the incidence of HPV-negative OPSCC is declining. Although we know that HPV-positive OPSCC...
Setting aside the issue of when/if to reduce inferior turbinates, the issue of how to reduce turbinates is a never-ending story. This edition of rhinology carries two articles looking at this subject, both prospective randomised trials comparing two different methods...
Research in the field of language treatment and rehabilitation to date has used single-word naming as a controlled measure of outcome. Yet, given people do not actually communicate in single words, there is much debate as to whether this approach...
Approaches to assessment and treatment for people with aphasia have traditionally taken a syndrome or deficit-based view. It’s only in the last few decades that a more functional approach to aphasia has been recognised, namely the need to couch both...
Dining with family members, amongst the clinking of dishes and glasses, the sounds of conversations and laughter, the husband, a user of hearing aids, misses his wife’s request to bring another bottle of wine. After a third try, the wife,...
The exceptional Professor Muaaz Tarabichi is known to many as a pioneer of endoscopic ear surgery, and a founder of generous scholarships to trainees from developing countries. He also has an inspiring story of how he came to his current...
We are delighted to introduce a stunning new cover series by Dyon Scheijen, a Maastricht-based clinical physicist-audiologist and artist fascinated by the psychology of hearing. Dyon explores the connection between audiology, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and sound perception. He...
The coronavirus pandemic has mobilised medical innovators in an amazing way. We take a look at just a few of the hundreds of innovative products and techniques that have been developed and used in the last few weeks. Some of...
Epiphora, or abnormal tearing, occurs because of blockage in the lacrimal drainage system, which impairs normal tear channeling into the nose. Dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) is used to treat patients diagnosed with lacrimal sac or nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO). External DCR was...
Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) is a familiar and colourful figure in the history of science. The immense quantity of data he collected during his lifetime would enable the work of Johannes Kepler and has gained him admission to the astronomical pantheon....
Seamus Heaney grew up in the 1940s. Infectious diseases – diphtheria, poliomyelitis, mumps, measles and rubella – were rife. Stepping Stones recalled talk among older neighbours of ‘a-waiting on’ when they were close to death. Aunts and uncles succumbed to...