The ideal qualities of a good Consult ant defy definition , and a full description of one is difficult to completely proffer. Such a description , would also depend on which 'Camp' or 'School' you belong to. To a junior doctor, a good Consultant is easily accessible , approachable, friendly, with the patience of a Saint, and the sense of humour of an undergraduate . However, I consider the most important quality to be 'availability' or ' presence' - at least on the end of a phone! Tolerance , empathy and understanding are the other basic ideal qualities of a good Consultant. As regards health-care delivery , the good Consultant should have a passionate concern to maintain basic standards of Pat ient Care . H e or she should want his or her . colleagues to adopt the same standard and approach towards their Government patients, as they would to their Private patients. The good Consultant never writes "I have given the patient a supply of my formula for asthma" or denies access to simple tests like fundoscopy nor audiogram. , the Consult ant can still change his or her characteristics to fit the "Ideal" , if there are more significant negative attributes when you complete reading through this viewpoint on Ethics of Medical Practice.

A retrospective study of 278 gynaecological malignancies was carried out for a period of 12 years (1990-2001) by the authors in the University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port-Harcourt (UPTH) with respect to age, site and histological pattern of the cancers in each anatomical class . Cancer of the cervix, ovaries and the vulva were commoner in the age group 50 - 59 years while those of the uterus and the vagina were commoner in the age group 60 - 69 years. Of the given anatomical classes , cancer of the cervix formed the majority , accounting for .63% of the cases, and the least was cancer of the vulva which recorded 3 .2%. Others in order of frequency were ovary 15.5%, uterus 13 .3% and vagina 5%. all the cases, except those· of t he uterus and ovaries-where choriocarcinoma and serous cystadenocarcinomas were more frequent , squamous cell carcinoma of "well and moderately differentiated variants formed majority . The uterine cancers were made up of both epithelial and mesenchymal cancers. Severely dysplastic lesions were considered as malignant since they showed all the characteristics of mali gnancy except infiltration of the surrounding tissues.

The skull radiograph of 102 children with seizure disorders seen at the University of Ilorln Teaching Hospital over a 3-year period were reviewed and compared to those of 42 children with Indications for skull radiographs other than seizures. Intracranial calcifications were reported In (13.7%) of those with seizure disorders, with calcification of the falx cerebri accounting for 57.1% of all the Intracranial calcifications. In comparison to the controls, falx cerebrl calcification was significantly higher In the children with seizures (Z = 9.25, p < 0.001) . Of the 8 cases that had calcification of the falx, birth asphyxia was associated In 5 (62.5%) of the cases with a relative risk "RR" of2.1. Eighty seven percent of the falx calcification was seen In those with generalised seizures. We conclude that calcification of the falx cerebri Is a pathological entity with a possible role In the genesis of centroencephalic abnormal discharges In childhood. It Is associated with generalised seizures, and birth asphyxia seems to be a predisposing factor.

A restrospectlve study of gynaecological malignant tumours was undertaken between January 1990 - December 199,9 Inclusive. It consisted of all gynecological specimens sent to histopathology laboratory in 10% formalin-s.aline solution. Those diagnosed as malignant tumours were retrieved from our records. A total of 2,673 malignant tumours were recorded out of which 386 were of gynaecological malignant tumours.Cancer of the cervix accounted for77.0% which were seen in advanced stages, followed by ovarian 11 .0%, endometrial 6.5% and vulval cancers 4.1%. Cervical cancer was the predominant gynaecological cancer in this hospital. This high Incidence may be attributed to a lack of awareness of Jhe nature of the disease which may be responsible for the late presentation in the hospital. The number of cases of othr gynaecological malignail'cfes lik e ovarian and endometrial cancers have continued to rise In our hospital, and like cancer of the cervix, patients presented late.

The serum concentrations of vitamins A (retinol ), C ( ascorbic acid ) and E (alpha -tocopherol) of paediatric- age group were determined In sicklers and non-sicklers within the Sokoto metropolis. The levels of the antioxidant vitamins were found to be significantly lower (p < 0.001) In the slckler group when compared to that in non-sicklers. In all cases the concentrations of the antioxidant vitamins were significantly depressed In children with sickle-cell anaemia. The depletion In the levels of the three-antloxldant vitamins may probably account for some of the observed clinical manifestations of sickle-cell anaemia. This shall be the subject of our future lnvestigation(s).

A total of 1,398 patients who presented with various types of injuries at the Accident C entre oj the University of Benin Teaching Hospital over a one - year period were prospectively studied to evaluate the categories of patients qffected, aetiological factors, types and severity of organ injuries. There were 956 males and 442 females with a male to female ratio of 2 .2 to 1 . The peak age of the patients was In the third decade . Road traffic accident was the cause of injury in 52 percent of cases, followed by physical assault and falls . The lower extremities, head , face and upper extremities were the most commonly injured body regions. Most of the Injuries were minor with Injury Severity Score (ISS) ranging from 1-3, and moderate severity (ISS ranging from 4-16 ) . Majority resulted from road traffic accidents. We conclude that road traffic accidents are the major cause of traumatic injuries in Benin City and efforts should be made to quantify the burden of Injury in our environment through purposeful research and establishment of a trauma data bank .

Children commonly swallow various objects unknown to parents and guardians. Fear of being disciplined also add to their unwillingness to confess what they had done. In this paper a case is presented from the Ear, Nose and Throat Department of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) Sokoto of a ten year old child who was treated at various hospitals, for cough for seven years with stunted growth. Radiological Investigations confirmed an oesophageal foreign body (coin) with consolidation and bronchiectatic changes in the right lung. Patient' s symptoms resolved after removal of the foreign bod y. Simple chest x-ray should be done In all children with persistent cough especially when this is associated with growth retardation.