A few days ago, my scans came back. My liver looked like a Jackson Pollock painting. Blobs, blotches, lines everywhere. Three weeks ago, it had looked quite neat. No longer. […]
Month: May 2008
Harvey Marcovitch: Saving polar bears and children
I had no idea of what it meant when I was asked to put myself up for election as a director of the Council of Science Editors . Since this […]
Julian Sheather: Is depression a problem of meaning or of medicine?
In a recent article in the BMJ Paul Biegler returns to a familiar theme in some of the more reflective literature on depression. Should an episode of depression be seen […]
Joe Collier: Word watching – checking for tricks
I love words. I love their subtlety, their precision, their power, their influence. For me, they represent the embodiment of our thoughts and so our intellects. The abuse of words […]
Domhnall MacAuley: Eurovision and health
Here’s a challenge for any commentator – to link the results of the Eurovision song contest and our health care system. The UK, where we pride ourselves as world leaders in contemporary […]
Fiona Godlee: Learning safety from other industries
At an international patient safety meeting I attended earlier this month (part of a series, see riskybusiness2008.com), I found myself remembering words from Atul Gawande’s book Complications (if you haven’t […]
Trish Groves: Turning the light on
BMJ Deputy Editor Trish Groves blogs from the Council of Science Editors (CSE) annual meeting in Vancouver. “Accurate and transparent reporting is like turning on the light before you clean […]
Helen Barratt: Testing times
I’m looking forward to yet another May bank holiday weekend revising for exams. In an idle moment the other day, I realised that I’ve been buried behind a pile of […]
Domhnall MacAuley: Drugtaking in sport
We now know the prescription for sporting success. The pharmacopeia outlined last week in the letter from Victor Conte revealed by British sprinter Dwain Chambers, is staggering but unsurprising. Drug use is […]
Anna Donald: Confessions of a chemo-veteran
I’ve spent the last week reading. I haven’t done much else, because my cough has reached the point where it’s slowing down my movements: constant coughing fits are tiring. On […]