The science behind an Italian doctor’s plans to give a man a whole new body might be advanced, but philosophers have been asking what makes a person for centuries.
A new robotic tentacle has the potential to revolutionise keyhole surgery.
Doctors’ commercial interests are a powerful disincentive for them to establish licensed facilities with all the checks and balances.
Zurijeta/Shutterstock
In a high-pressure surgical environment, where older male consultants dominate, and there is great competition for training positions and jobs, women are vulnerable to sexual harassment.
Episiotomies have a place in maternity care but should not be routinely performed.
Paul Curto/Flickr
It’s difficult to imagine how something as big as a baby’s head can come out of what appears to be a relatively small space. But during childbirth, the perineum – the area of skin and muscle between the…
Musculoskeletal disorders are the second leading cause of disability worldwide. They affect joints, ligaments, muscles and nerves as well as the structures that support the limbs, neck and back. The most…
To Accident and Emergency, post haste!
William Woolnoth engraving/Rotational
Today, we cherish local hospitals and the services they offer, even though we might criticise their shortcomings. Despite arguments for consolidating some specialist services to promote better care, for…
Army recruitment: fear is a friend not foe.
Matt Brock
Pain is one of the most powerful weapons of war. Western Front soldier and poet Siegfried Sassoon dubbed war a “sausage machine” because it tore through and crushed tissues and organs, and dismembered…
The floodgates are open, bring on the age of 3D printing.
S zillayali
The news that a man in Wales was able to have his face reconstructed after a serious motorbike accident has brought the wonder of 3D printing to the mainstream. It’s the result of changes in regulation…
You don’t need an expert to tell you obesity has become a major health problem worldwide. The World Health Organisation estimates 35% of the world’s adults are overweight and 11% obese, double the rate…
The hippopotamus is among the world’s largest creatures on land, only elephants and some species of rhino are larger. Hippos are very aggressive – legendarily bad tempered and entirely unafraid of humans…
This little thing changed the world.
Science Museum London
The introduction into clinical practice of antibiotics is arguably the most significant medical advance of the 20th century. Together with immunisation and better public sanitation, they’ve had a significant…
A multi-armed robot assists surgery in delicate areas of the body.
Mark Chew
A spider-like robot moves over an anaesthetised patient, deftly making controlled incisions with flexible arms while a surgeon sitting a couple of metres away peers through a console offering highly-magnified…
Vasectomies and abortions require informed consent.
Lion Heart Vintage
When it comes to gender transitions, trans patients are often inappropriately held to higher account when compared to people opting for other kinds of medical care. Standards of care are effectively constructed…
According to an experimental study published in Nature Communications, severing key nerves in the neck may provide a new option for lowering high blood pressure. Considering new approaches to treating…
Musician Courtney Pine might not be able to operate in A&E but his work has some similarities to surgery.
Flickr/Richard Kaby
What could music and surgery have in common? At first sight, not much. Operations aren’t done on stage in front of a large crowd - and nobody dies after a concert if someone plays a wrong note. As an amateur…
Tont-Filippini’s claims could arose fears in the community and prompt people to reject organ donation.
Melvin Es
In his new book, Catholic bioethicist Nicholas Tonti-Filippini attempts to portray the surgeons involved in organ donation as modern-day grave robbers. As described in a recent article in The Age, Professor…
Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne