Glasgow Totems

Heard quite possibly the best presentation ever today by Dr Harry Burns, Chief Medical Officer for Scotland. I've heard him speak before, and have never failed to be impressed, but this one was so powerful - made me cry.

He was talking about Scotland's record of poor health, especially in the west, and exploring the social determinants. Essentially - being poor is very, very bad for your health.

But, this time he made some correlations and presented evidence about early years, and the effects of poverty on children and young people as they grow. What we need to grow up and have a good chance in life is coherence and consistency of nurturing, and a sense of how we can control our lives. Without that, our biology changes, and the outcomes are more likely to be negative. It's all complex stuff, and changing all the time as we learn more about neuroscience.

One stand-out quote for me though - amongst many amazing ones - was when he looked up from all his charts and said: "essentially what I'm saying here is that these kids need to be cuddled." Coming from such an esteemed and venerated public figure, such beautiful human nature on show was amazing - and that's the bit that made me cry.

Amazing man - if you ever, ever get the chance to hear him speak - do so!