We hear so much about the dangers of skin cancer, or the more mundane problem of wrinkles and skin deterioration, that it almost seems hard to believe anybody would have a real nut-brown year-round tan, says Mary Killen, who writes the Spectator's Dear Mary column.

BBC: Can a fake tan ever be classy?

And as the UK's debt problem will take longer to get under control, there will be a deterioration of the country's "shock-absorption capacity".

BBC: Q&A: UK credit rating downgrade

Eventually, a doctor identified the problem as Alzheimer's disease, a slow deterioration of mental faculties.

CNN: SPECIAL REPORT: HEALTH