Paracelsus was a Swiss physician, alchemist, and astrologer, born Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim in about 1493. He died in 1541, and his Sieben Defensiones, written in 1538, were […]
Columnists
Martin McKee: Turbocharging British science? Boris Johnson’s proposals promise much but will deliver little
Boris Johnson’s claim that the UK will become a “supercharged magnet” for scientists post-Brexit is poles apart from the realities of losing free movement, says Martin McKee […]
Richard Smith: Populism and the NHS
Britain’s much loved NHS is a prime target for populist politicians, says Richard Smith […]
Sharon Roman: Because empathy matters
The comfort that empathetic doctors provide has an incredible impact on patients and their outcomes, says Sharon Roman […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I Use a Word . . . Archaic
On 18 March 2019 the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, invoked a principle, dating back to 1604 and last used in 1920, that dictates that MPs may […]
Matt Morgan and Peter Brindley: Why it’s time we all woke up to the importance of sleep
For too long, medicine has been a cult that deifies workaholism and mocks those who “fuss” about sleep, say Matt Morgan and Peter Brindley […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I Use a Word . . . Hyphenation
From time to time someone writes asking me to explain some aspect of punctuation. Recently I have been asked to arbitrate between “sub-group” and “subgroup”. I prefer the latter. The […]
Giles Maskell: Introducing Rad-u-Like
Giles Maskell takes a satirical look at providing feedback for doctors […]
Richard Smith: Must the seriously ill and the bereaved be exempt from criticism?
Free and open public debate becomes impossible if all those who are seriously ill or bereaved must be beyond criticism, says Richard Smith […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I Use a Word . . . Core outcome sets and harms in clinical trials
Last week I discussed composite outcomes and the initiative known as COMET (Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials). In doing so I asked how many core outcome sets (lists of […]