SWINGING surgeons, we reported yesterday, like nothing more than a blast of Beethoven or a Mozart melody to accompany their work.

Worryingly, some prefer the agitated punk of The Clash. Few patients would relish the prospect of going under the knife while Straight To Hell was booming in the background.

The survey from Hospital Doctor magazine follows scenes in Holby City of operations conducted to classical music. It seems like a new trend.

But this is nothing new.

"I remember trying it out 30 years ago," said Prof Philip Stell, 69, a retired cancer surgeon who lives in Haxby.

"And I gave up after a couple of weeks. It distracted me and it distracted my anaesthetist."

His advice to today's surgeon's is: silence is golden. "It's not recommended because if you are listening to Beethoven's Ninth, you are already halfway down the slippery slope to have legal action against you."

But doesn't the music relax you? "You don't want to be relaxed, you want to be on your toes."

Prof Stell, who received an MBE in the New Year's Honours, was a choral singer.

That sort of music is also best avoided in theatre: the last thing a patient wants to hear as he sinks into unconsciousness is a heavenly choir.

TOP ten cuts for swinging surgeons:

1 Mack The Knife - Louis Armstrong

2 I Am What I Amputate - Gloria Gaynor

3 Scal-pull Up To The Bumper - Grace Jones

4 Gonna Make You A Scar - David Essex

5 Biopsy Of Love - Marty Wilde

6 Doctorin' The House - Coldcut

7 Appendectomy And My Shadow - Frank Sinatra

8 Dancing Spleen - Abba

9 Slice Slice Baby - Vanilla Ice

10 Wake Up Dead - Megadeath

SPOTTED: a motorway maintenance vehicle in York bearing a sign reading "Have A Crap Day".

SPEAKING of which, Evening Press political reporter Richard Edwards recently had what he described as the unluckiest day of his life - and he actually did run over a black cat.

The 24 hours of gloom began while Richard was on holiday in the Lake District.

First his car was written off - by someone who left the handbrake off their own motor, rolling it 200 metres down a bank into the back of his.

To make it worse, the crash car owner did a runner without leaving any details, and third party insurance means Richard gets nothing.

"I was going to sell it this week as well," wailed Richard. Next came a relaxing walk in the Lakes as Richard tried to get his head round the car calamity.

"Just as I was saying to my good lady I needed some new boots I flew up into the air and came down on this spiky rock. I'm still limping now."

And then came the mishap with the moggy. Borrowing his beloved's car to get a take-away and wine, a black cat ran straight under his car wheels.

"My luck seemed to change after that though, as just as I was wondering how to try and save one of the cat's nine lives two cat lovers came along, scooped the flattened feline up and took it home to nurse it back to health.

"I'll find somewhere safe to go on March 21 next year. Like not getting out of bed."

Write to: The Diary, Chris Titley, The Evening Press, 76-86 Walmgate, York YO1 9YN

Email diary@ycp.co.uk

Telephone (01904) 653051 ext 337

Updated: 09:59 Friday, March 26, 2004