It's always a pain to see someone do a hatchet job on your hard work. However, in most cases this is for a good reason - my advice would be: "listen to their experience; politely enquire why this needs to be removed - state your case for keeping it; keep an objective head"

Thanks everyone; hard to believe the whole thing is over! Especially since I submitted the damn thing in January last year and viva's with minor corrections.

Amazing!
After 8 months of faffing, the external has signed on the dotted line..
I'm Dr Hypothesis
:-)

A PhD is a relationship - with all the ups and downs that go with it. Your solution, I think anyway, is simple. You either want to make a relationship work, or you don't. If you do: Lump it safe in the knowledge the next three years have every possibility of being hell, especially the last one. But (sorry to the Grammar Police!).. he may just be the one for you.
Second: Throw in the towel - plenty others out there. Have a break, sit on the sofa, watch crap telly and eat junk food, then find another fella.
Simples. ;-)

It's like watching paint dry.
[Cue rant]
Had the viva, passed the viva. Borderline minor/major corrections (to the extent they gave me the choice of three months or 18). I opted for 18 with a view to completing in three months and made my target. I then submitted the completed document to the external.. this was in June. I've heard nothing from him in five months. His attitude is "he opted for 18 months, I'm taking 18 months" - wish he'd put me out of my misery and say if I passed or failed the damn thing! :-(

The lit review needs to be redone, but it's a pass :-)

Well done Doc!

The time is upon me... I'm going in..

Knock 'em out Pink_fluff! (up)

Got mine tomorrow too - we can panic together!

Title says it all.

Eek.

Feel like one of these -->(turkey)

If you're still looking for help I am about to submit my PhD on dental erosion - we toyed with the bugs side so maybe I can be of assistance?

I feel lonely now: all those names from the forum over the past three years that have kept me going (even though I rarely comment!) all graduating and I have three weeks to go before submission. Now who's going to bring a smile to my stress fractured visage?

X-rays could potentially induce mutations in the DNA of either ovum or sperm. Not sure about lasers other than than they couldproduce retinal damage if you stared straight at them.

You could always gently point out that medical doctors attend university for three years to get the science/art behind it then practice for two more just to get registered (and in my experience still lack the basics) - thus they only have a Bachelors degree and their title of "doctor" is in fact purely honorary. You sweated blood to do new research to gain a "proper" doctorate and so a little respect for that sacrifice would not go amiss?

Failing that, go for sarcasm: just sigh melodramatically and say: "Whatever you say dear..."