Keeping the elderly out of hospital "People may not wish to bother their doctor with possible benefits they have experienced," observes Professor Jim Parle of Birmingham University, "but for the greater good of all, they should do so." This could be best achieved, he proposes, by utilising the current "yellow card" warning system for reporting adverse drug side effects. The general consensus concerning the lady with an intermittent, excruciating deep pain in the buttocks is that this must be weaver's bottom - presumably so-called because it must have been an occupational hazard for those sitting for long hours at the loom. The technical term is ischial bursitis, which runs as follows: A bursa is a small sac filled with slimy fluid similar in consistency to a raw egg white. This acts as a sort of cushion, reducing the friction between the bones of the major joints, but also where a muscle is in close proximity to a bone. The ischial bursa separates the hamstring muscle from the ischium, the bone that links one side of the pelvis to the other, and which takes the pressure when sitting down. This can become painful and inflamed (bursitis), and those who spend a lot of their time in a sedentary position, such as weavers, are particularly predisposed to it. Ischial bursitis is not an easy condition to treat, although physiotherapy and steroid injections may bring some relief. There are two further suggestions. First, to sit cushioned on a dining room-type chair with arms, so as to shift the weight on to the back of the thighs. And second, surprisingly, to ensure adequate hydration by drinking a couple of quarts of water a day - as recommended by a reader who found this hint on the internet with the comment: "Try this before anything else." "I have to say it worked immediately," she writes. This week's conundrum comes courtesy of Mrs L C, whose father, though a doctor, has not unfortunately been able to help her with the rather unusual problem whereby certain smells - such as cooked meat or toilet freshener - can persist for up to eight hours. "I cannot get rid of them, even by spraying scent to act as a counterirritant," she says. This is associated with a partial anosmia, so that "some smells I can't smell, others I can't get rid of." Any similar experiences would be mu