The Leeds Medico-Chirurgical Society

The meeting began with supper in the Garland Gallery.
Apologies were noted.

The President then introduced Mr David Hanson, former Consultant ENT Surgeon at the LGI, who gave his address entitled 'Making Voice Work'.

Mr Hanson explained that his title came from the Italian. His interest in voice started during his childhood in Accrington, through listening to ITMA on the wireless during the war and attending chapel, where he recalled mimicking his father singing 'Eternal Father strong to Save' in the choir. At school, he sang oratorios and played many female roles; later, he contributed to radio plays in Birmingham hospitals. His Lancastrian accent stood out when he went up to Cambridge. When he moved to Leeds, he began his long association with Opera North and Jean Allister, singing teacher and voice coach, who told him that 'voice comes from the front of the mouth'. Jean volunteered to help him in his clinics at the LGI.

Mr Hanson then went on to describe the 'tackle' of voice production, beginning with bellows, stressing the importance of clean air, posture and filling the base of the lungs, which expand like 'knicker elastic'. Singing is all about vowel sounds, not consonants, but the latter are needed to make the sense intelligible. English abounds with consonants, Italian less so. There must also be imagination and interaction with the audience. The ability to close off the glottis is very important not only for voice production, but also for childbirth and avoiding constipation. Mr Hanson then demonstrated the essential function of the vocal cords and vocal folds to open, close, stretch and relax using his outstretched arms and sleeves. He stressed the importance of lubrication and singers avoiding dehydration. He deplored the damage done to the resonance of the cords after surgery, which causes scarring in Reinke's space under the vocal folds. The art of what singers call 'placing the voice' using the resonation between larynx and the lips was described.

Mr Hanson showed a series of videos taken by stroboscobic lighting, which beautifully illustrated the function of normal cords and those affected by diseases such as recurrent laryngeal nerve injury after thyroid surgery, scarring in Reinke's space after laser surgery and the effects of GORD (gastro-oesophageal reflux disease), which is very prevalent among professional singers. Others adverse factors for the voice are excess caffeine, Cola, smoking, crying (especially the youngest child in the family) and over use. Mr Hanson then demonstrated very effectively the power of singing over speech with the help of a Welsh bass baritone. He conclude that doctors and ENT surgeons were generally unsympathetic towards singers, believing them to be neurotic, inclined to take any medicine they could lay their hands on, difficult to make appointments for and unlikely to let you operate on them.

Dr Brian Welch gave the vote of thanks after a lively discussion and the meeting closed.