LMITransactions&Report2014-15

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LMI Transactions and Report 2014 - 2015 Minutes of the Ninth Ordinary Meeting Held on Thursday 12th February 2015 ‘Reasons Why Average Life Expectancy is Set to Fall in Developed Countries’ Professor C Vyvyan Howard, Nano Systems Biology, Centre for Molecular Bioscience, University of Ulster Mr M McCormick and Prof C V Howard Prof Howard started by saying that the possibility of falls in life expectancy was topical at the moment in view of the ‘epidemic’ of obesity, diabetes and cancer and displayed graphs which confirmed the increase in these conditions in recent years. He then suggested that there might be a common thread linking them. The average person’s body contains hundreds of chemicals in minute quantities none of which was in existence sixty years ago. There are persistent chemical pollutants which, when recognised, may be banned; e.g. DDT. There are also transient chemicals, rapidly eliminated, previously thought to be safe which are now regarded as toxic even in miniscule amounts. An example of a dangerous chemical in plastic bottles used for a long time is Bisphenol A. This predisposes to obesity, reduces sperm count and stimulates production of prostate cancer cells. It is no longer in use but there are numerous chemicals in the food we eat, in our drinks and even possibly in our clothes. These chemicals cross the placenta and may have a huge effect later in life causing, at least in part, the conditions mentioned above. Prof Howard then discussed the increase in cancer in children and young adults which he suggested may be due to the effect of chemicals in utero. We must be more aware of this and strenuous efforts must be made to identify possible chemical pollutants. A lively discussion took place involving many comments and questions, after which we proceeded to supper terrified at the prospect of ingesting all the dangerous chemicals in the seemingly innocent food put before us. R S Ahearn 36
LMI Transactions and Report 2014 - 2015 Annual Dinner Held on Thursday 19th February 2015 Guest Speaker: Professor Richard Ramsden, Department of Ear Nose and Throat Surgery, Manchester Royal Infirmary Mr M McCormick, Dame L Muirhead and Lord Mayor Erica Kemp Prof R Ramsden Prof R Ramsden and Mr M McCormick At the well attended Annual Dinner of the Liverpool Medical Institution, the President, Mr Max McCormick, introduced Professor Richard Ramsden, Emeritus Professor of Otorhinolaryngology, who, as a consultant and then professor at Manchester, had pioneered the development of cochlear implant surgery in the United Kingdom, for which he was awarded the MBE in 2014. Professor Ramsden is a Scot. He graduated from St Andrews in 1968 and was drawn to the speciality of ENT whilst a house officer in Scotland. He was a registrar and senior registrar at the Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital, London, and was appointed Consultant in ENT surgery at the Manchester Royal Infirmary in 1977. This was an auspicious time for treatment of cochlear disease. In Australia, in the 1980s, Graham Clarke pioneered the use of multi-channelled cochlear implants that allowed the treatment of cochlear deafness. Professor Ramsden learned of the technique and developed the use of cochlear implants in his department in Manchester. It was a technique which could cure cochlear deafness but it was very complicated and expensive. The early treatments cost between £15,000 and £20,000 each. Professor Ramsden had obtained MRC funding for his research, and when it was shown to be successful, other departments in the United Kingdom started to offer the technique. A further Australian development had been made by W Gibson in the 1990s, who showed that deafness could be diagnosed in infants, and where suitable, they could be offered cochlear surgery so that their deafness could be cured in childhood and they could receive mainstream education. The Manchester Cochlear Implant Programme, established in 1988, was recognised as the leading centre of research in its field in the UK. The procedures are now available to patients in centres throughout the United Kingdom. For Professor Ramsden, these developments are an example of the NHS working at its best. A discovery was made, the United Kingdom research had been funded by the MRC, and a technique, initially available only at a few centres, had been developed so that it is now widely available to NHS patients, improving their quality of life immeasurably. Professor Ramsden concluded by inviting us to toast the health of the Liverpool Medical Institution. John Sprigge 37
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