The BMJ‘s readers, even those who have not studied Greek as a language, ancient or modern, will probably be familiar with most, if not all, of the letters in its […]
Jeff Aronson’s Words
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . þink about ðis
In each of the following pairs of generic drug names one is the International Nonproprietary Name (INN) and the other is not: • beclomethasone/beclometasone • betamethasone/betametasone • chlorthalidone/chlortalidone • ethacrynic […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Grimm’s law
In 1998, The BMJ—which had previously been able to publish only one third of all letters received, and then only weeks or months after the articles to which they referred—took […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Nose-ography
While editing the forthcoming edition of Meyler’s Side Effects of Drugs: The International Encyclopedia of Adverse Drug Reactions and Interactions, I came across a suspected teratogenic effect of high dose oral […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Conjugation
A case of Vernet’s syndrome, unilateral paralysis of the 9th, 10th, and 11th cranial nerves, caused me to read up about the jugular foramen and tumours therein. The jugular foramen, […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
My patient Pat damaged a knee skiing abroad, had it fixed locally, and limped home. “Should I keep on taking these tablets they gave me, Doc? They’re to help me […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Phonemes shmonemes
I referred my patient Pat for a specialist opinion. The consultation was not a success. “That specialist registrar you referred me to was totally useless,” said Pat. “What an insolent […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Rough breathing
Exploring the English phonemes, I have reached the unvoiced labiodental fricative f. When consonantal shift changes p, the unvoiced bilabial plosive, into f, a breath becomes a sneeze, even though […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Pecksniffery
“While you’re here, Doc,” said Pat, “would you mind looking at Pat Junior?” It turned out to be a simple upper respiratory tract infection. I recommended something for symptomatic relief. […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Pah! Disgusting!
Emily Colas’s Just Checking is a riveting, often unsettling, account of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Reading it got my stream of consciousness ruminating about the link between disgust and stereotypy. Neasden […]