necks to denote our profession, and we're known as `Dr. Alex' and `Dr. Steve'.

That's our way of being non-threatening.'' By Nancy Acton Paediatrician Dr. Alex Barron remembers, with a shiver, his childhood visits to the doctor, during which he and his fellow juvenile patients were required to sit, stripped to their underwear, in the physician's chilly basement reception area awaiting their turn to be seen.

Today, the friendly doctor smiles as he watches a very different scene -- young patients playing happily with the toys in the brightly-decorated reception area of the Wee Care Paediatrics practice which he shares with Dr.

Stephen West on Elliott Street.

Here, sunlight filters through the plate glass windows, highlighting a large, colourful mural on a back wall; cartoons play on the television screen, three-dimensional animal figures mark the doors of the examination rooms, and inside them multi-coloured hand- and foot-prints of babies and young patients, together with their names, form a charming record of the little patients the doctors refer to as "our family''.

"We try to keep it informal,'' Dr. Barron explains of the decor designed by Dr. West. "No white jackets, no ties. Most of the time we wear shorts and golf shirts, with just a stethoscope around our necks to denote our profession, and we're known as `Dr. Alex' and `Dr. Steve'.

"That's our way of being non-threatening. If kids don't feel threatened about going to the doctor maybe they will be more likely to continue as they get older. In theory, we should produce healthier children and adults that way. I think most paediatricians have the same approach.'' The good doctors also give out trendy stickers ("We keep current on what's `in','') as rewards for bravery; dress up for Hallowe'en, and host a fun-filled, annual patients' party at their surgery.

It is all part of a modern approach to paediatric medicine. Other facets include altering grown-ups' perception of ailing children, and making parents a part of the treatment process.

"Kids are not small adults, they are different, and you have to approach them as individuals,'' Dr. Barron says. "In addition, I really like to get the mums and dads involved in the decisions we make. Often I will ask a mum, `What would you be comfortable with today?' There is a saying that a mother knows her child better than anyone else, and a wise paediatrician listens to her.

"I used to tell the medical students I taught: `The most valuable lesson you will ever learn is, if a mum tells you something is wrong with the child there will be something wrong'.'' Citing the administration of antibiotics for ear infections as one example, Dr. Barron says a mother's instincts are often invaluable, based on her intimate knowledge of the child.

"Whereas once upon a time everybody used to give an antibiotic, we now know that, in many cases, it is not the best way of doing things. In other cases we watch the child for 48 hours, and also consult the parents. If a mum says, `Let's wait 24 hours', often the child is better and things are resolving, so we have avoided that nasty medicine. Studies generally show that the problem will get better by itself. "Over decades, germs have slowly become immune to antibiotics, and we are paying the price for that. I think the rule to only give out medicines if they are absolutely necessary is good.'' As a paediatric oncologist and paediatric haematologist (the only one on the Island to have completed training in blood-related disorders), Dr. Barron knows that these and cancer can be painful experiences for a child, but fortunately modern medicine has made enormous strides in their treatment.

"Pain management today is so good,'' he explains. "While the criterion should be that children do not feel any pain, it is not always possible, but that is what we are striving for.'' In terms of blood disorders, Dr. Barron's wealth of knowledge and experience in this field, together with his top-notch contacts abroad, bodes well for Bermuda's children and their families.

Sickle cell anaemia being one area of his practice, he is working closely with King Edward Hospital pathologist Dr. Keith Cunningham, who has negotiated a special screening programme for all children, starting at birth.

"Where once we would only find the kids as they got older and got into difficulties, now we can be more pro-active,'' Dr. Barron explains. "Within three weeks of birth we can tell if an infant has the disease, and since we know that one in five (undiagnosed) sickle cell children will die by age five from infection, by teaching the parents how to care for the child from birth we can reduce the mortality rate, and also make the child happier as he or she gets older. Children who do best are the ones whose parents help them the most.'' Stressing the importance of early detection, Dr. Barron says the information this provides allows for better treatment, including controlling pain, preventing lost school days, preserving vision and hearing, and preventing childhood strokes.

He also stresses that, while sickle cell anaemia commonly afflicts Indians, black people and those of Mediterranean origin, all children, regardless of race, should be tested, because they may be unaware of their ancestral roots.

With regard to childhood cancers, Dr. Barron sees deaths from this disease as a tragedy to be avoided at all costs, and again notes the huge strides which medicine has made.

"Most people don't realise that the majority of children with cancer are cured,'' he explains. "Thirty years ago 80 to 90 percent of children with leukaemia died. Today, 75 to 80 percent of all children are cured, and the figures are getting better every year. I think that is one of the most remarkable achievements in paediatrics in recent years, and it has been rewarding to be a part of the revolution.'' The friendly doctor for kids In addition to his own expertise, the oncology paediatrician says the "in'' he enjoys with former colleagues, many of whom are experts in their field in prestigious US and Canadian hospitals, works to the benefit of local patients and their families.

In one instance, he was able to leapfrog a long waiting list and get immediate attention from one top specialist in the US for a seriously ill patient within hours of diagnosis here, as a result of which the youngster is doing well, and in another he successfully collaborated on a rapid diagnosis and treatment programme which removed the necessity -- and expense -- for the patient and parents to travel back and forth to Canada.

Dr. Barron is also excited about a project he is working on with Dr. West which will incept a teleradiology hook-up with hospitals abroad, whereby CAT scans and X-ray images transmitted via the Internet here can be reviewed by teleconference.

Taking it one step further, Dr. Barron foresees teleconferencing between doctors here and abroad while a child is being examined, and with the parents in attendance, as another way of obviating the need to travel back and forth.

"The concept has been received very positively by the new Chief Executive Officer at the hospital, and also the Internet provider,'' says Dr. Barron.

"We are trying to introduce new ideas and projects, and hopefully do an even better job than is already being done here.'' Having been an annual visitor from age 18 months to 17, along with his family, the paediatrician -- a married father of two -- has nothing but praise for his new home, and the much-maligned King Edward VII Hospital.

"I am extraordinarily happy here. Bermudians have remained as polite, nice and friendly as I remembered them, and my children think the Island is paradise. This is where my wife and I want to raise our family. It is a wonderful, safe community,'' he declares. "As for the Island's medical expertise and facilities, for a population of 60,000 I think they are unmatched anywhere. The facilities at King Edward and the number of doctors are outstanding. It is truly amazing.''