As I discussed last week, Clinical Pharmacology Month, currently in progress, is a good occasion during which to reflect on the 50th anniversary of the Medicines Act 1968 and its […]
Columnists
Richard Smith: A professional writer observes death up close
Arthur Koestler’s Dialogue with Death is an unusual, even unique, book in that it’s the experience of a professional writer who expects at any moment to be shot. It provides […]
Abraar Karan: Why we need more diversity in our doctors
The movement to change what a doctor looks like is a daily, incremental effort […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Medicine, medicines, and the Medicines Act 1968
As I pointed out last week, the IndoEuropean root MED, to measure or take appropriate measures, has given rise to a large number of English words, among them “medicine” and […]
Nick Hopkinson: Wellness, meaning, and control
“Being old enough to die is an achievement not a defeat, and the freedom it brings is worth celebrating.” From this striking vantage point, Barbara Ehrenreich, in her recent book […]
Peter Brindley: Vive la différence? Polite Canadian suggestions for those working in the British NHS
Canada is multicultural and multilingual in the same way as your average British emergency room. Both work better when we listen as much as we talk […]
Richard Smith: Improving the evaluation and regulation of medical devices
Earlier this month the Scottish government ordered an immediate halt to the use of vaginal mesh after mesh had contributed to a woman’s death in Edinburgh in August. The death followed […]
Martin McKee: Salzburg—what next for Brexit?
For close observers of the Brexit process, the only thing that was surprising about the EU’s rejection of the so-called Chequers deal at the European Council meeting at Salzburg was […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Must and should
Sometimes “must” and “should” get confused. The IndoEuropean root MED and its o-grade form MOD meant to measure or take appropriate measures, and hence to ponder, judge, or prescribe. Hence […]
Richard Smith: What to do with the £20 billion promised to the NHS?
Under great political pressure and caught up in the razzmatazz surrounding the NHS’s 70th birthday, the government has promised another £20 billion to the NHS. What should be done with […]