Readers have been sharing their views on the issues that matter to them including Mark Murphy’s response to a recent Call the Midwife episode while others have made a claim on the first-ever selfie.

See our reader letters here.

My claim for taking the first ‘selfie’

What with so-called “Islamic” state (as evil and grotesque a perversion of religion as we have seen in modern times), so-called “Brexit” (I am one of the ignored 48%), and so-called “President” Trump (more Americans voted for his opponent than for him), there are worse things to get hysterical about than so-called “selfies”. But while I’m on that subject I’d like to claim taking the first “selfie” - a photo of one of my then girlfriends (whose name was Sue) and myself (aged 19) in the summer of 1966. The camera was a little Instamatic and the only other equipment was careful positioning and my outstretched arm. I can’t say that it’s the best photo of either of us - we had to wait until the film was developed to see what it looked like - but it still occupies an honoured place in my old photograph album.

I await a phone call from the Saatchi Gallery!

Rev, Cliff Reed, Ipswich

Hospital care exceptional

We felt we had to write and express how satisfied we were with the care received at Ipswich Hospital last week. Following a dramatic start to the week I (Lesley) was admitted to Needham Ward on January 23. The care I received was exceptional from the matron Jan Wright, through to ward manager Sandra Gillingham, senior registered nurse Steph Todd and registered nurse Shawn Leach, and thankfully I was discharged swiftly the day after. Unfortunately we had cause to visit the emergency department on January 25, when Steve became unwell. The triage nurse Laura was outstanding and her swiftness to assess meant we were seen within the department within no time, and the diagnostics received while there were second to none. Steve was soon moved to the assessment unit on Brantham ward, and was eventually moved to a bed on the ward, where again his care was outstanding by the nursing staff, which included SRN Sarah Watson and CST “Debs”. The following day he was given more tests, but all the time being kept updated by Sue Haddock and the staff working within the ward environment. We are only too well aware of the dissatisfaction by some patients using our hospital; so therefore we feel it is imperative to give thanks and congratulate staff on their achievements when care is undertaken with such compassion and care to both patients and their relatives.

Lesley and Steve Rae, via email

Subject needs to be aired

Reading Mark Murphy’s article about the programme ‘Call the Midwife’, I am so pleased that it’s in the open and that there is so much more help these days. In the late 60s, early 70s, that help just wasn’t there. The effect on children and innocent partners is dreadful and whatever can be done to stop this horror is so very welcome. Well done Mark and also to Lighthouse for the wonderful work that they do.

Barbara Hick, Ipswich

Indecent haste of state visit

I m a bemoaner, and proud of it. Nothing that has happened since last June, nor the numerous letters to the press, has convinced me we are doing the right thing for the good of this country and for the future of our grandchildren.

Here’s another moan. I am absolutely incensed that our Queen is being asked, with indecent haste, to organise and host a state visit for the very recently elected President of the United States. I hope she finds her diary is already full for some long period of time and we are not going to risk seeing Mr Trump grip her hand.

Mrs P O’leary, Woodbridge

Contentment that beats materialism

I refer to your article by Sharon Griffiths (EADT, January 30) listing 20 things that she considers more advantageous to living now, in reply to Warwick University stating that 1957 was the ‘happiest year’. Her points may be true but only if we see it through the eyes of the present ‘me now’ material society and this gives a distorted history. We are now so severely influenced by all sorts of devices and artificial gadgets that have caused the way that we think to change considerably over the last 60 years. If we look back at the way that these more natural people of this prior culture thought we find that they had a contentment that the modern materially minded will probably never now be able to understand. ‘But they had so little’, I hear you say. That is true but it is only relevant to your now biased eyes. For me the contentment we had beats all the clamour for possessions for self and the literal and material-only vision of the present majority.

Neil Lanham, Botesdale