Orléans 2024 – France from 18th – 21st September 2024
Our Orleans conference was a huge success. Here is a review by one of our attendees:
39th Anglo French Medical conference: Orleans – September 2024.
Dr Isabelle Crawford.
Sure! Here’s the text tidied up into proper paragraphs for better readability:
It was with great excitement that I, along with around forty other doctors and their companions, traveled to Orléans for the 39th Annual Anglo-French Medical Society meeting. Our French colleagues organized a splendid conference and plenty of excellent social activities. The talks were both interesting and entertaining, all delivered professionally, often in the non-native tongue. I always marvel at the bravery of everyone, particularly the five medical students who were prepared to stand up and talk about such diverse subjects. Well done to them, and long may it continue!
Arrival day was very sociable as old friends caught up, while newer members were greeted and made to feel welcome. Programmes were distributed in art-inspired bags containing the Olympic mascot cuddly toy, Phryges. Perhaps most welcome was the youngest addition to the group – James and Deb’s six-month-old son, Duncan, who received a lot of attention. Dinner on the first night was a culinary delight, accompanied by delicious wine—a great way to settle in, relax, and prepare for the next few days.
DAY ONE
As partners set off for their action-packed morning of visits to Sigloy, the doctors met in the conference room for the first lectures. This kicked off with a very warm welcome by the two presidents, Colin Mumford and Paul Benfredj.
Kate Mather, a GP from Tyneside, took us back in time to assess deaths in the Old Testament through the lens of the Medical Examiner Service of England and Wales, originally set up in 2019 for hospital deaths but recently expanded to include community deaths. She explained that three fundamental questions must be answered: 1) cause of death? 2) natural or unnatural (and so requiring referral to a Coroner)? 3) any clinical governance problems?
Kate used diverse examples such as Nabal (cardiac), King Eglon (stabbed, but as head of state would not be investigated), Eli (fell and broke neck), Shunammite’s son (a heartwarming tale of a child receiving what sounded like CPR and surviving), King Jehoram (ruptured bowels), Samson (trauma due to building collapse—accidental and in custody), and finally Elijah, who, being whisked up into the air, would be treated as a supernatural death with no body to examine, so no investigation by the coroner would have been possible.
It was interesting to learn of special cases; for example, diplomats and rulers are excluded from investigations. The fact that accidents are always ‘unnatural’ means they are always referred, as are deaths in custody. Paediatric deaths require a mandatory review, regardless of cause.
Our next speaker was Fabienne Scetbon, a radiologist with a Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence, who had founded a radiology center in Paris. She spoke by video link from Tel Aviv and gave us an informative talk about breast screening, highlighting different approaches between France and the UK. She then expanded to discuss the role of AI. It was a stark reminder that one in eight women will experience breast cancer, resulting in 685,000 deaths worldwide, of which 12,000 are in the UK and France annually. Fabienne reminded us that AI is neither Artificial nor Intelligent but does have considerable memory, which requires the four ‘V’s: big Volume of data, Variety, Velocity, and Veracity. Several studies have shown a reduced workload for radiologists, and 20% more cancers might be detected by AI.
There followed a moving and fascinating lecture by Annick Zaleski about the impressive Franco-Polish doctor, Maria Zdiarska, who was born in 1898 under Russian occupation and lived through both Tsarist and Soviet Russia. Her life of astounding courage, matched by fierce intelligence and what must have been phenomenal drive and energy, was recounted, starting with her youth and moving through WWI (1914-1918), the Polish-Soviet war (1918-1921), the interwar period (1921-1939), and finally WWII (1939-1945), before her return to Paris. Her achievements and phenomenal bravery made me feel rather inadequate! I calculated that she was working on the front at the age of just 22. She was captured by the Soviets—whom she disarmed with her intelligence—followed by a barefoot walk of 70km without food. She received a Gallantry Cross and Virtuti Militari medal. She had a remarkable intellect, was driven, and had a rich life, meeting some interesting people, including four French presidents. She died in 1987. The twist in the tale was that Annick revealed that this amazing woman was, in fact, her grandmother!
In the afternoon, we visited the Musée des Beaux Arts and the old town of Orléans. We learned about the Roman origins of the town, the Cathedral, and of course, Joan of Arc. I was delighted to find a plaque naming several Scots who had helped her fight off the English! We were treated to a drinks reception hosted at the Hotel Groslot by the Adjoint Maire d’Orléans, Chargé de Santé.
This was a highlight, as the medical students made short presentations in competition for the new Hertford British Jean-Pierre Gotlib Prize. Marvin Duenger addressed the controversial treatment of electroconvulsive therapy, reminding us of the negative press given to ECT, due in part to the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. He was followed by Sandra Haddad, who channeled Vincent van Gogh to describe brain fat embolisms using a case study to illustrate the causes, symptoms, and signs. Julia Graszkiewicz followed with a run-through of health inequalities, noting the gender gap in medical research. Emma Danhaive then gave us a description of “PASS,” the new “Permanence d’Access aux Soins de Santé,” designed to help the most disadvantaged and ensure they receive proper care. Finally, Olivia Pickford described her paediatric elective period in Montpellier, which caused her to reflect on how illness impacts not only a patient but also their wider family.
We then enjoyed a wonderful Jacques Foray prize talk about the management of strokes and the perils of living in remote places far from stroke centers. Julia Venturini illustrated this with what might have happened to her if she had had a stroke on the island of Corsica, skillfully diagnosed by her neurologist husband—a hypothetical scenario, luckily. Solène Frileux gave a superb talk proposing that late-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder might be an early sign of Lewy body dementia, illustrated with some interesting cases. Finally, we learned about scurvy, sailors, and Sicilian lemons. Tim Reilly reminded us of the signs and symptoms of scurvy, with a romp through history to reveal how it was finally discovered to be due to a lack of Vitamin C. I had no idea that limes have half the amount of vitamin C as lemons…yet the British were still called “Limeys.”
In the afternoon, we ventured to Chilleurs-aux-Bois to visit the Chateau de Chamerolles. Luckily, the downpour occurred while we visited the interior, including the perfume exhibition. Whale vomit in the form of Ambergris smelled surprisingly nice, but we all agreed Civet cat was rather foul. I’ll stick to my Chanel No. 5!
After a quick turnaround, we took the bus to the beautiful Chateau de la Ferté-Saint-Aubin for our Gala Dinner. We were welcomed by a hunting horn band, who apparently turn their backs to the audience so that we cannot see their red faces from the effort of blowing. The Jean-Pierre Gotlib prize went to Emma Danhaive, with Marvin Duenger coming in a close second. The Prix Jacques Foray was awarded to Julia Venturini. The disco afterwards was a good way to relax and great fun for all. I am so grateful to the DJ for playing my request, ‘Africa’ by Rose Laurens—not the version by Toto—taking me back to my carefree clubbing days in French boîtes—but enough of the reminiscing.
DAY THREE
Brian Thompson presented some interesting cases of childhood headache, particularly the rare entity called recurrent painful ophthalmoplegic neuropathy. A local guest, Aymeric Seve, had come all the way from Orléans center to give us the current advice about vaccination in pregnancy. Finally, Jason Sellers discussed the merits of telemedicine. There is certainly a place for this, but one slide mentioning a patient having sixteen contacts with their doctor in just thirty days filled me with horror. I was left with visions of ‘keyboard warriors’ sending all sorts of requests at all times of the day and night. There were some useful applications, though—allowing doctors to monitor blood results and so on remotely.
Following the closure of the formal part of the meeting, some of us enjoyed a relaxing trip to the beautiful Jardins de Roquelin and delicious cake, followed by a trip to Blois, with a walk around the town led by a delightful—and very theatrical—guide. We had a wonderful dinner in the Restaurant de l’Oratoire, followed by a magical spectacle of sound and light detailing the history of the Chateau de Blois.
What a superb reunion; educational and relaxing, with great fun had by all. I am looking forward to Manchester already (and maybe Chamonix as well), and am trying to recruit all the Francophile doctors I know. Many thanks to all for a splendid time.
Dr. Isabelle Crawford
