Listener No 4413: Edit By Jago

[AHearer]

I thought this was a very nice idea, but I wish there had been more consistency. Perhaps it wasn't possible to find a fourth theme word that would fit -- it's not my area of expertise. Some nice straightforward clues. Thank you, Jago.

[Scorpius]

I feel that Jago's puzzle has been underrated on this forum. It's a classic Listener, with a simple theme, nicely executed, and a grid full of mutilated entries for which the solver has to work out the rationale. Despite AHearer's opening comment I don't see any inconsistency in the theme or its interpretation because the difference between the cause of one of the thematic words and that of the other three does not strike me as a thematic issue. Finally, the clues, though mostly easy, are elegantly constructed and engage interest.
It may be at the easier end of the spectrum, and may disappoint those solvers looking for Sabresque complexities, but it's at least a couple of steps up the difficulty ladder compared to some very easy puzzles we have had in the past.
I can find very little to criticise.

[Philoctetes]

I did wonder whether there was a better thematic connection in one of the quadrants, as, in the others, the thematic word itself set right the deficiency. But, not being an expert, I couldn't think of an answer.

[icynorth]

This was an ideal puzzle to while away the evenings in a remote cottage in the moors without access to reference material. Thanks Jago!

[crosswhit99]

What a shame the setter couldn't use myxoedema in the top right quadrant to maintain thematic consistency - he may not have realised that whilst the other three are diseases caused by deficiences, goitre is a symptom which is rarely. Nyctalopia would have been subject to a similar drawback, but at least would have created greater concordance between the quadrants. Regarding restoration of D, there isn't really a better example, though deficiency has been associated with many diseases, one of the best known of which is Diabetes.