Eight years'' experience with a structured clinical examination

A structured clinical examination has been an integral component of the final-year examinations conducted by the Departments of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Adelaide for the last 8 years. It has been used as an alternative to the traditional clinical examination. This paper describes the results of ongoing student and examiner surveys carried out to determine their views and satisfaction with this new approach. It also briefly discusses the feasibility of introducing such an examination into a conventional medical school environment. The surveys showed a remarkable level of acceptance and support by both students and examiners. This positive reaction has been maintained over the 8-year period. The main reasons seem to be its perceived relevance and fairness. Students also appear to be directing their learning in a direction thought desirable by teachers. No significant problems have been encountered with the practical implementation of the method.     

Coming Out by South Asian Gay Men in the United Kingdom

The process of coming out among Western gay men and women is well described. The present study is the first to explore the experiences of coming out among gay men of South Asian origin in the U.K. South Asian is defined here as originating from the Indian subcontinent. Members of a homophile organization were given a questionnaire designed to assess the experiences of coming out to family and friends and the degree of compartmentalization in their lives. Information obtained from 52 questionnaires was supplemented by detailed interviews with 9 respondents. Families and religion played important roles in the process of coming out. Sisters were most likely to be told first. Some degree of dissonance between cultural and sexual identity was noted. In addition, each step taken in revealing one's sexual orientation to friends, family, and colleagues was dictated by the strength of the relationships and the desire for intimacy. Further areas of research are highlighted.     

ORL-HNS training in South Africa

An out line of the scheme of training specialists in Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (ORL-HNS) in South Africa is given and the difference with Indian training discussed     

The neurologic examination in geriatric psychiatry

The need to distinguish functional mental disorders from organic brain dysfunction has become increasingly important with the growing number of elderly patients who present with behavioral disturbances. As part of the evaluation of these patients, the psychiatrist or other physician should perform a basic neurologic examination. The author describes an examination for geriatric patients that includes methods for taking a neurologic history, for clinically measuring psychological functions, for evaluating primitive reflexes, and for interpreting peripheral neurologic responses.     

中国近代西医产科学史

本文阐述了中国西医产科学的发展历史。由于传统封建思想的阻碍,我国现代产科学的起步较晚,１９１１年在福建省建立了我国第一所产科病房。１９３０年以前孕产妇及新生儿死亡率比英美高４～５倍,１９３０年后,建立助产学校,开展孕期保健及骨盆测量,不断改进对病理妊娠的诊断及妊娠合并症的处理,这些均促进了中国近代西医产科学的进步,也为建国后的发展奠定了基础。     

The sunflower syndrome. A new look at "self-induced" photosensitive epilepsy

The stereotyped, episodic abnormal behaviour manifested by a child and her mother on exposure to a particular sort of sunlight is described in detail. The child is the first fully documented patient with this so-called "self-induced" form of photosensitive epilepsy in whom for several years no electroencephalographic sensitivity to flickering light could be demonstrated. The probability that the cingulate circuit may be the anatomical substrate involved in the pathogenesis of these patients' unusual response to sunlight is discussed. Both patients also exhibited remarkably persistent habit rhythmias--the one common to both being that of circling.     

Linking genes and environmental exposure: why China presents special opportunities

The Human Genome Project will have an enormous impact on our ability to study and understand human disease by providing maps of human genes. However, many of the most prevalent human diseases result from the complex interaction of numerous genes. Even with the use of a catalogue of human genes, the task of analyzing complex genetic and environmental interactions involved in the common human disorders will be formidable. Due to its demographic specificities and large size, the Chinese population offers a unique resource for the study of human genetics and the ability to capitalize upon the recent revolution in biotechnology. Reasons that China provides an exceptional population for genetic studies of complex diseases include: (i) the resource of 1.3 billion people makes obtaining a large number of subjects with rare (and common) diseases possible; (ii) relative genetic homogeneity in many regions has been preserved; (iii) stratification is distinct; (iv) urban/rural and geograph ic contrasts, both in environmental factors and disease occurrence, are quite marked; (v) family members tend to stay congregated; and (vi) epidemiologic study is cost-beneficial.     

中美高等教育评估比较研究

通过中美高等教育评估制度的比较,分析其不同的内涵、目的、历史、机构及类型,从而对我国的高等教育评估制度提出合理化建议,促进一个完善的、科学而公正的、适合中国国情的评估制度的建立。