The Town Crier
September 1997

Dr. Brian Hands is very concerned about seven sinewy bits of flesh and muscle that dangle in your throat, just behind your Adam's apple.

So concerned that he opened a centre that specializes in the care of your vocal cords, making VOX CURA the only centre of its kind in Toronto.

Hands, an ear, nose and throat surgeon, initially did consulting for the Canadian Opera Company. "More and more people were calling the opera and asking, 'Who takes care of your singer because if he takes care of yours he must be good,'" he says. "We've done something that's never been done before. We put together a centre that cares for the professional voice."

And he soon became known as the Doctor to the Stars. In fact, he's had his fingers and his much-prized videostroboscopy probe in the mouths of many of today's biggest music, film and television stars - throw out a name and you're likely to find their autographed picture on his office walls.

The probe is what vaulted voice analysis into the twentieth century, Hands said.
"Videostroboscopy came into being in 1950," he said. "Until then, we used a dental mirror and a head mirror to look at the larynx. But the video strobe system was so costly and large that any use besides laboratory was impossible."

The device uses a strobe light and camera to film the movement of your vocal cords, which vibrate at 80-1,000 cycles per second. From the images, the doctor can make an exact diagnosis of the problem.

Dr. Hands first came across the new technology at a conference in the States and was overwhelmed by the possibilities it opened.

"I thought, 'How am I practicing? I'm still in the Dark Ages," he recalled. "I felt that for someone who is caring for voices that are heard throughout the world, it was not fair to my patients. So I went about finding out how I could purchase one."

From there Dr. Hands' practice flourished. He doubled his office space and added a voice coach and a speech-language pathologist to his team. And he made changes to the overall operations of his office, so he could cater specifically to individuals who use their voice to put bread on the table.

"We wanted to create an environment where a singer could come in and not have to worry about, say, catching a cold from other patients. We tried to raise the sense of awareness about the voice - to be a group of people who know and understand the problems."

Now, Dr. Hands said, his clients look to the probe as a way to enhance and prolong their careers.

"An untrained rock singer's voice has a short life span. When they realize it is their dream to have a sustainable career as a professional singer, they come to see me," he said. "They won't last on the techniques they are currently using."