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Medical Detectives

Medical Detectives (University of Edinburgh). A series of public lectures which show that keen detective work is still essential for 21st Century doctors. Inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the lectures highlight the University of Edinburgh's acclaimed medical research. Conan Doyle drew inspiration for his character Sherlock Holmes when he was a medical student at Edinburgh. He based Holmes on the Professor of Medicine Joseph Bell, who was known for his meticulous attention to detail. Today's medical sleuths, just like Holmes, must use powers of observation and deduction not only to make the right diagnosis but also to find new treatments.

Unravelling the Mystery of Stroke Disease - The Clue's in the Numbers. Ideas about the causes of stroke have evolved over the centuries from the mystical to the realisation that most strokes are due to a plumbing problem - a blocked or burst artery in the brain.

In this lecture Professor Peter Sandercock will begin by describing early attempts to map stroke in the population and then explain how the numerical science of epidemics of infectious diseases in populations was successfully applied to stroke to identify its main causes.

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