Fao Sandyroe

[Sqad]

You mentioned on another thread the Aborcorn Restaurant in Belfast which brought back memories for me.
The IRA planted a bomb which exploded (can't remember the date) and many people were killed although they were also many survivors.
Two of my mates from the Royal Victoria in Belfast, Alan Kerr and Gordon Smythe, both surgeons, obtained permission to recreate the position of chairs and tables prior to the explosion, which victim sat where and examined all the ears of the dead and of the survivors with amazing results.
The eardrum if perforated quickly healed and in a high percentage of cases was not even damaged, following the blast.

Just a piece of useless information ...the reminiscing of an old man.

[Sqad]

Abercorn. sp.

[Psybbo]

Ah the bad old days Sqad, those surgeons were amazing and were kept very busy.

[sandyRoe]

Later I was on a basic computer course with a man who'd been badly injured in that blast. He needed both legs amputated very high up. He would have been a big strapping man before that and when I met him it was clear he was condemned to spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Being in his company for a few weeks brought it home to me, more than many of the other horrors I'd seen, how terrible the violence here could be.

[Grandma_Yiddo]

I was serving in HQNI in 1972 when that happened. Amazing job done by surgeons at RVH.

[Sqad]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abercorn_Restaurant_bombing

Only 1972.

[chanel5]

Sqad, the surgeons you mention, and countless others, have earned the gratitude and honour of the population of Northern Ireland. It was their skill that saved countless lives during the bleak days of the seventies, and it is their experience, grimly gathered though it was, that was passed on to others who are still improving the lives of people in Northern Ireland today. When I had my hip replaced two years ago in Musgrave Park Hospital in Belfast (formerly a military hospital) I was told that the surgeon who oversaw my operation had learned his skill rebuilding the shattered limbs of soldiers and civilians during the dark days. If you served as a surgeon in Northern Ireland, I salute you. And by the way, just to remind you, the Abercorn bombing was on 4th March, 1972. That was a busy day for the IRA and a day I personally will never forget.

[Sqad]

chanel.....thank you for that well written post, but i cannot claim any of the accolades that you have given to surgeons in the dark days of Northern Ireland, as I spent nearly all of my professional career in England.
I have, or had many colleagues that practiced in your country, who I would have described as friends and I actually have " soft spot" for the Irish.

The two surgeons named in my OP produced their findings and presented it to the Royal Society of Medicine in London and i had the pleasure of enjoying a lunch with them both.

Although it was an absolute tragedy, their investigations and conclusions changed the way we thought about the sensitivity of the ear and certainly how traumatic injuries to the ear, were treated.

Thank you again for your considered reply.

[chanel5]

Thank you, Squad. For many years I have been in awe of the medical teams who struggled to salvage human lives from the carnage of the troubles. It is good to see that others have acknowledged the contribution they made.