Bradford doctor Christine Alvin wonders if any of our readers recall a self-professed healer of eye defects.

She said: “On more than one occasion after I’ve given talks on Bradford’s past medical history, elderly people have told me that they remember the market at John Street being notorious as a ‘quack market’ – I think probably during the 1930s.

“They particularly remember there was someone who professed to cure cataracts of the eye by licking them away. Obviously this really was a charlatan at work, because there’s no way that licking them could work.

“But he must have been around for quite some time for quite a few people to remember him, and I wondered if any of your readers might know more?

“I’ve never come across this specific procedure in any books on quacks or on ocular surgery, and I’ve asked other medical historians about it.”

Dr Alvin can be contacted on (01274) 612250 or on christine@ncalvin.f9.co.uk.