I share a birthdate and a first name with the great Spike Milligan. For that and for many other reasons, I have always felt an affinity with him. Thankfully, I am not known as ‘Spike’ — which would be a pretty pejorative term for any editor, as the meaning of the word as a transitive [...]
The judging for the Crystal Clear Health Literacy Awards took place last week and so I had to make my way down to the Morgan Hotel in Temple Bar to perform the solemn task of Solomon — how do you choose between worthy and worthwhile projects when they all have merit? No such problem for [...]
You could be forgiven for feeling a bit jaded from the blanket coverage of all things Darwin. But being as it is the bicentenary of Charles Darwin’s birth (February 12) and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his seminal work, On the Origin of Species, what else could you expect? Commissioning editors are subject [...]
Dr John Ryan learns how to put the credit crunch in perspective, when he sees what everyday life is like for people living in the deprived areas of Lima. For my flight to Lima, I flew out of Newark airport. Newark is situated about 20 minutes from Manhattan on the New Jersey shoreline. The airport [...]
Nobody likes the guy who has just come home after an extended stay abroad. All he wants to talk about is how everything is better over there – wherever there is. So I shall try to stay away from comparisons – particularly regarding public transport – between Vienna and Dublin. I have lived the last [...]
A wonderful book has made its way from Sligo to the Medical Miscellany clearing desk and one that should prove invaluable to me as I struggle to find health-related humour in 2009 (see panel). Laughter: a wonderful tranquilliser – with no side effects is the work ofDr Patrick Henry, a general practitioner from Rosses Point [...]
If you’re looking for an elegant and up-market destination for your summer holiday this year, escape to Croatia for sun, fun and culture. The concept of specialisation is well understood by doctors. Sometimes, to get the best results, it is necessary to consult with a specialist. The same principle can be applied to the all-important [...]
My first few days in Vienna – I am here until the end of February – have me steeped in thoughts of language, expression and identity. While celebrating New Year’s Eve on the streets in sub-zero temperatures, I told a girl that it was so cold that my bones were starting to freeze. I said [...]
It’s always good to start off the New Year with a bit of good news and what could be better than the fact that one of our columnists has decided to tie the knot and get married? Dr John Ryan — chief bottle-washer (sorry, chief resident) in Boston University Hospital and US correspondent for Irish [...]
While driving my girlfriend’s 1994 Peugot 106 from Dublin to Westport, I found myself stuck behind a 2008 Range Rover Sport being driven erratically by a woman who was on her phone. I am about 6’1” — not all that tall — but the ideal height for a driver of a Peugot 106 (I found [...]
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