“If you build it, they will come!” So went the catchphrase of Field of Dreams, in which an Iowa farmer is inspired by voices to build a baseball diamond in […]
Month: May 2014
Richard Smith: Talking eugenics in Germany
The other day I heard a wildly optimistic account of how our understanding of genetics would allow us to eradicate many diseases, potentially create better people, and reduce health costs. […]
Richard Lehman’s journal review—6 May 2014
NEJM 1 May 2014 Vol 370 1702 Britons, mourn. Our biggest drug company, GlaxoSmithKline, had a potential blockbuster on its hands. Darapladib would stabilise unstable plaque, everybody would want to […]
The BMJ Today: Marking International Workers’ Day
Across the world, celebrations marking the International Workers’ Day herald the onset of May. Having its origins in the ‘eight hour day’ movement, which signifies “eight hours labour, eight hours recreation, […]
Jonathon Tomlinson: “Four problems”—a typical day for a GP
I had only three patients left to see at the end of my morning surgery. It was 12.30. I had started at 8am, taking urgent phone calls for an hour […]
Arima Mishra and Sandesh Kotte: Where does the healthcare of Indian people figure in political parties’ election manifestos?
In their recent book, Uncertain Glory: India and its contradictions, Sen and Dreze lament the fact that despite India’s consistent economic growth, the country falters on […]
Azeem Majeed: General practitioners should give up their independent contractor status and become NHS employees
General practitioners (GPs) have worked as independent contractors since the NHS was first established in 1948. However, we now need to review whether this model of general practice is what the […]
The BMJ Today: Let’s talk money
Some politicians would have us believe that the UK recession is soon to be a thing of the past, and that an economic recovery is well and truly under way, […]
David Oliver: Older people in nursing homes—from “hard hitting exposés” to constructive solutions
Last night BBC One’s Panorama: Behind Closed Doors was the latest in its series of programmes on appalling care for frail older people. For someone like me, who works day in […]
Neal Maskrey: Learning the patterns to unlock decision making
The hardest of hearts must have been softened by the improvement in Anglo-Irish relations in recent years. The Queen’s speech in 2011 at the state dinner in Dublin Castle, with […]