Influenza is a serious illness and so we need to do all that we can to treat and prevent it. Until recently, prevention has largely evolved around vaccination. But now […]
Columnists
Richard Smith: Bed management in hospitals—horrible and badly in need of reform
The British public is used to operations being cancelled and to whole hospitals being unable to admit more patients because no beds are available. A recent television programme showed how […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Nihilitis
Here’s a word that isn’t to be found in any English dictionary, as far as I can tell, “nihilitis”. I have previously discussed the numerous ramifications of the IndoEuropean root […]
Abraar Karan: Doing things for no reason in the hospital
Many of the things we do as doctors continue simply because “that’s the way we’ve always done it,” says Abraar Karan […]
Is TED dead?—a return to good-old fashioned conversation
We two authors used to attend medical conferences that felt more like pathetic gladiator battles. Weapons included poison-tipped USB sticks, monotone delivery, and a complete lack of eye-contact. The audience’s […]
Peter Brindley: But why are we here?
Spend enough time in a medical job and you’ll face unexpected and existential questions. The most curious may even come from your own family. Several Christmases ago I faced a […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Naming the digits—the index finger
A few weeks ago I discussed finger counting, fingerprints, and the words we use to name the digits of the hand, starting with the thumb. Now the index finger. The […]
Hilda Bastian: Evidence and choice—what does one mean without the other?
The evolution of cataract surgery is a lesson in the pathologies that hold back medical science […]
Richard Smith: Matlab, a centre in Bangladesh that has conducted trials that have changed the world
Matlab, a subdistrict 57 km from Dhaka in Bangladesh, is the site of the oldest demographic surveillance site in a low and middle income country. It’s famous for the world-changing […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Medical anniversaries in 2019
As last year, my list of medical anniversaries in 2019 is restricted to those that are multiples of 50 years. Thus, I have not included, for example, the 10th anniversary […]