The junior doctor strike in England triggered an Oxford Union debate last month about the extent to which patient safety is compromised when public sector workers take industrial action. But […]
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Andy Cowper: How to march your troops back down again
As another bout of industrial action concludes in the junior doctors’ dispute, the BMA junior doctors’ committee leadership has won outright. Their leaders were carried in triumph down Whitehall, celebrating […]
Pratheeshaa Varuni Nageswaran: The fictional narrative
I entered medical school armed with a large collection of my favourite fiction, a boxset of Friends, and excitement for this new phase of my life. Although getting lost in […]
Neville Goodman’s Metaphor Watch: Time to come off the gold standard
This blog started with epidemic proportions. There are nearly 1800 PubMed articles written in English that have epidemic proportions in the title or abstract. Of the other metaphors I’ve dealt […]
Lindsey Hines and Elle Wadsworth: Would the UK benefit from a regulated cannabis market?
The Liberal Democrats have announced a proposal for cannabis law reform in the UK. It is not without precedent, coming at a time of […]
Peter Scolding: “Europe has a problem . . . and neither riot police nor volunteerism are the answer”
In my first week in Calais, the appeal to prevent French authorities beginning evictions from the “Jungle” was denied. Very few had hoped for a reprieve, instead discussion was focused […]
Sunil K Pandya: The Indian Medical Council’s new code of ethics favours industry
The Medical Council of India is entrusted with the task of maintaining high standards in medical education and practice. Its code for professional conduct was recently modified. One would expect […]
Medicine and literature: The 2016 Wellcome Book Prize
The role of medicine in our lives, and in literature, is the key theme explored by the books shortlisted for this year’s Wellcome Book Prize, according to Joan Bakewell who […]
Jane Feinmann: Addressing malnutrition
Doctors have faced up to the challenge of treating obesity. Is it now time to address that other major weight disorder—malnutrition? Less common in the general population than obesity, malnutrition […]
Kallur Suresh: Is the dementia plan for England a challenge too far?
Last week saw the publication of the implementation plan for the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2020. This new challenge aims to consolidate and build on the progress made since […]