Sitting beside your patient in a consultation, how can you make the greatest difference? How can you minimise morbidity, reduce mortality and, improve quality of life? And, if your patients wish to do all they can for their own personal health gain, where do they get most benefit?

Earlier this year, we sought your views on the greatest medical breakthroughs since 1840. Your vote concluded that the major advances were mostly in public health and at population level. But most …