External otitis is an extremely common condition and can affect between five to twenty per cent of the patients attending ENT clinics (Hawke et al., 1984).Its precise pathogenesis remains unclear, despite several aetiological classifications in the literature. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between infection, water exposure and trauma and the development of acute otitis externa. The study comprised 100 patients with their first attack of otitis externa and 150 age and sex matched controls. In only 40 per cent of cases could a primary microbiological cause be found.There was no significant statistical difference found between the two groups regarding the use of agents capable of traumatizing the external canal. Regular swimming, showering and hair washing were significantly more common in patients with acute otitis externa. Allergic disorders were nearly three times more common in the external otitis group suggesting a possible immunological aetiology.

The etiology of pituitary dwarfism is varied.1 The majority of cases are idiopathic (with an observed increase in history of birth trauma), and approximately one third are associated with radiologic changes of craniopharyngioma or pituitary tumor. A number are associated with midline embryonal defects, histiocytosis, basilar meningitis, and sarcoidosis. An increasingly reported cause is craniospinal irradiation for oncologic disease. An unusual, and previously unreported, cause is described. CASE REPORT A male child, born Aug 8, 1961, was investigated at the Royal Adelaide Hospital for shortness of stature. He was the second of four siblings; gestation and delivery were normal with a birth weight of 2.6 kg.

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