Looking into the cavities of the human body by means of devices, without having to make an incision in the skin, has always been the dream of surgeons. The quest to light up these dark spaces was resolved for the first time in 1886, with the advent of the first cystoscope fitted with an incandescent bulb, designed by Leiter and Nitze in Germany. In 1910, it was improved on by the Swedish physic...

The emergence of a clinical syndrome: The first convincing descriptions of narcolepsy-cataplexy were reported in Germany by Westphal (1877) (100) and Fisher (1878) (25). The unique association of episodes of muscle weakness triggered by excitement and sleepiness were described in these two reports. In both cases, hereditary factors were noted, with the mother of Westphal’s patient and one siste...

one hundred myasthenic patients were prospectively studied the ratio ojfemale to male was approximatelv 1.12. disease onset was most common in the third decade. the incidence of disease onset after age so was significantly higher ill men. the 11l0,'i! common presenting symptoms were ocular, seen in 76% ojpatients. iii several cases, disease presentations were atypical, with symptoms such as wea...

To walk 100 meters at 4 kilometers per hour (an average walking pace) takes about 1.5 minutes. What would prevent an oncologist investing this brief time in visiting a patient in the next building? It is not that oncologists as a group are uncaring. I can think of too many examples where the opposite is true. Was he too busy? Was he burned out? Did he feel guilty at having failed to control the...

One of my earliest memories is of a tall, thin clergyman who arrived late for a meeting as I stood outside the Lodge room as an Entered Apprentice whilst the ceremony of a higher degree was in progress. He was the treasurer of the Lodge and his name was the Reverend Prebendary Charles Waton. He was the Vicar of St Benet Fink, Edmonton and was a Grand Officer. To me, he was a very important maso...