First do no harm. It’s one of the fundamental rules, but what experienced clinician has not, at least once, done some harm? Medicine is intricate, and imperfect, with increasing number […]
Latest articles
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Cupping
Many celebrities, including Olympic athletes, such as US swimmer Michael Phelps, and actors, such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston, are fashionably subjecting themselves to cupping. So, is “the silliest celebrity […]
Neville Goodman’s Metaphor Watch: Cast iron
The BMJ’s columnist, Margaret McCartney, wrote that we need, “cast iron divisions between healthcare and industry” because their priorities are different. (Being The BMJ, there was no hyphen; but dictionaries […]
Bayad Nozad: Rio, cupping, and public health risks
The Olympic Games are a major inspiration for people from all backgrounds and ages to participate in sport and lead more healthy lifestyles. We noticed great public engagement in all […]
Colin Brewer: Assisted suicide and people with intractable psychiatric illness
When a former editor of The BMJ and respected health academic like Richard Smith even tentatively argues the case for medically assisted rational suicide (MARS) to avoid the slow and […]
Michael L Millenson: Girls, queers, and patients
It’s not surprising that the word “patient” makes some activists uncomfortable. The Latin root patiens (“he who suffers”) suggests passivity, particularly when paired with doctore (“he who teaches”). Small wonder, […]
John Davies: Looking after athletes in Rio
A few days ago I was in nominal charge of the second field of play team which is situated after the finishing line of the track. The finishing line is […]
Peter Thomson: Would revoking the European Working Time Directive improve surgical training?
The President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England suggested recently that leaving the EU will allow surgeons to undergo thousands of hours of extra training. Following the Brexit […]
Tony Woolfson: How can we fill vacant consultant posts?
A Public Accounts Committee report suggested that the large number of unfilled consultant posts was due to bad workforce planning. Hardly surprising really. Obviously true, but not really the point. […]
Ara Darzi: Workload fears over online patient records
England was the first country in the world to enable patients to book GP appointments, order prescriptions, and access their medical records online Since April 2016, all practices have been […]