“The mental asylum belongs to a vanished era,” begins the obituary of psychiatrist Henry Rollin in The BMJ. Despite working in asylums until their closure, there is no implication that […]
Month: March 2014
Sue Macdonald: A parent’s view of cerebral palsy—20 years on
The other day I came across a personal view that I wrote 20 years ago just after learning that my baby son, Dominic, had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The […]
The BMJ today: From head to toe
Despite affecting opposite extremities of the body, two conditions examined in clinical reviews in The BMJ this week share a number of characteristics. Chronic migraine and fungal nail infections are […]
William Cayley: Medicine—too fast, too slow, or just right?
“Slow Medicine” is getting more and more attention. The authors of several recent books have got readers thinking more and more about taking time, truly listening to the patient, focusing […]
Daniel Marchalik: Rethinking medical education—in defense of fiction
In the past decade, medicine has quickly entered a new era in which morning rounds take place in front of a computerized set of lab values and histories are taken […]
Richard Lehman’s journal review—24 March 2013
NEJM 20 Mar 2014 Vol 370 1091 Please follow these instructions carefully: 1. Remove half of the skull, taking care to ensure you have chosen the appropriate side. 2. Repair […]
The BMJ Today: Unrepentant hucksters, bedtime stories and tackling mental health
Recent research from the US shows that medical conspiracy theories are rife there. Almost half of north Americans believe in some health conspiracy theory or other: more than a third […]
Tessa Richards: It’s time to turn healthcare upside down
March sees the picturesque town of Basel transformed as it celebrates Fastnacht. Masks are donned, people pour into the streets to the sound of piccolos and drums, and party. Transformation […]
The BMJ Today: The versatility of medical careers
Since its inception, the BMJ has never ceased publication, even when London—where the British Medical Association is based—was being bombed during the Second World War. At the time, victims of […]
Simon Chapman: Why is Big Tobacco investing in e-cigarettes?
Discussion about e-cigarettes on social media, the blogosphere, and vaping chatrooms is dominated by impassioned accounts from former, now vaping, smokers wanting to encourage smokers to do what they have […]