Quite a few randomised controlled trials have shown that parental presence during the induction of anaesthesia doesn't seem to reduce children's anxiety, but in practice many anaesthetists observe otherwise. In trying to predict which child-parent pairs will benefit from a parent being present, an analysis of over 550 children showed that the presence of a calm parent benefits an anxious child, but an overly anxious parent offers no benefit (Anesthesia and Analgesia 2006; 102: 81-4).

In 1984 a Civil Aviation Authority survey of male helicopter passengers flown to off-shore oil rigs found their average weight to be 79.4 kg. A survey in 2005 found their average weight was 87.6 kg, which was enough to require a re-calculation of load factors on flights to ensure safety. The rise in average weight also adds further epidemiological evidence that, as a nation, the British are getting heavier (The Log [British Air Line Pilots Association] 2006;66: 21).

Ice is often used in treating tennis elbow. But a small controlled trial involving 40 patients with unilateral tennis elbow found that ice applied in a bag to the outside of the affected elbow for ten minutes after exercising offered no additional benefit to exercise alone. The level of pain reported …