The juxtaposition of an article by a dying (indeed, dead) journalist bemoaning the NHS denying him an expensive cancer drug and a spate of articles illustrating the “crisis in social […]
Columnists
Julian Sheather on why we must retain the Human Rights Act
When we sicken in the UK most of us turn to the NHS for care. The majority of doctors here have also been trained in the NHS. Medicine in the […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Palindromes
A palindrome reads the same backwards as forwards, from the Greek παλίνδρομος, recurring or running back again, a compound of παλίν, back, and δρόμος, a course or racetrack. Other words […]
Richard Smith: Rethinking the publication of surgical innovations
A scandal in cardiothoracic research has led Martin Elliott, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Great Ormond Street, to conclude that current methods of publishing surgical innovations are not only inadequate but […]
Nick Hopkinson: Air quality—what’s the point of warnings?
The Thames is wreathed in smog—the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, issues an air quality alert and announces a new system of air quality warnings. There will be road-side dot […]
William Cayley: Comprehensiveness, diversity, and primary care
As medicine continues to grow in complexity and diversity, it is fair to ponder what roles may be best suited for the medical workforce of the future. A recent opinion […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Gross negligence
The charge of gross negligence manslaughter, a criminal offence, is rarely invoked in medical cases. In the most recent, a surgeon, Mr David Sellu, was convicted but released after serving […]
James Raftery: Changes to how NICE appraises drugs and other health technologies
The recent proposals by NICE and NHS England to change arrangements for evaluating and funding drugs and other health technologies not only tidy up the processes, but introduce some important new […]
Students are the key to addressing the gap between academia and action in global health
The last decade has seen an unprecedented growth in the number of students from England, the United States, and other high-income countries involved in global health and development projects in […]
Tiago Villanueva: Primary care in Brazil’s largest favela
Walking through Rio de Janeiro’s largest slum, Favela da Rocinha, in the pouring rain is probably not the wisest thing for a foreign visitor to do. But on a recent trip to […]