MEDICAL TRAVEL - AN OPPORTUNISTIC DISEASE - A POTPOURRI OF MEDICAL CONFERENCE SIDE-SHOWS

Conference attendance is so much a part of modern medical life that sc arcely an aircraft lands at, or departs from, an Australian airport wi thout a doctor on its passenger list. Conference organisers vie with e ach other to choose alluring venues, but the sad reality is that we se ldom fmd time out to enjoy the exotic surroundings. In many ways these trips fulfil Dr Johnson's dictum that ''travel narrows the mind'', bu t with a little energy and imagination even the busiest schedule can y ield time for you to be a medical traveller, storing sights and ideas in the mind to last long after the immediate purpose of the journey ha s faded.