Mark Rylance on theatre, film and his family’s tragedy: ‘For me, love is stronger than death’

The actor’s beloved stepdaughter, Nataasha van Kampen, died aged 28 in 2012

Do surgical masks guard against viral infection?

At the outbreak of a virus, masks may give a sense of comfort but there is debate over their efficacy, with some medical professionals arguing that regular hand-washing is much more effective

Surgery in the 19th century: From barbershop phlebotomies to the ‘fashionable, ephemeral craze’ of antisepticism

In its first 50 years, stories of ‘remarkable’ and ‘extraordinary’ operations became regular features in The Irish Times

The ‘Xcentric’ Carlow physicist who discovered why the sky is blue

Extraordinary Emigrants: John Tyndall’s inventions also led to modern fibre optics, respirators, and fog horns

Can olives stop sea sickness? Strange cures from your kitchen

When Coca Cola was first put on sale in 1886, marketed as a cure for morphine addiction, indigestion, nerve disorder, headaches and impotence

Question: Can a patient really demand that a hospital consultant washes their hands?