So there we were, early Wednesday afternoon, preparations under way for the evening surgeries, when the phones started to ring off the hook. Almost simultaneously we got an email from the PCT telling us that 143 children from the local primary and infant schools were sick with an as yet unidentified viral illness. Some were […]
Latest articles
A poetic license to practice (with thanks to Jenny Joseph)
“Health Warning” by Deborah Kirklin When I am a patient I will rarely take my medications But will always want my script instantly filled. And I shall spend hours reading all the health advice the Daily Mail has to offer And be sure to share it with my doctor, in detail and backed up by […]
The beauty of the beast that is Australia: unforgiving and unforgettable
Half a lifetime ago I went to Australia for my medical elective, a joyous interlude just before finals that allows doctors-to-be to savour, for one last time, the freedom of life as a student. Eight weeks is barely time to get over the jetlag let alone to adjust to the stark and breathtaking landscapes that […]
Boats, BBQs, and insect bites: the seductive power of warm nights in a cold climate
The inhabitants of the British Isles, along with much of Europe, are currently basking in glorious weather. Warm, sunny, BBQ-inspiring, smile-evoking, relaxation-inducing, glorious weather. The kind of weather that leads lesser mortals like me to even share guilty jokes about not everything about global warming being bad. […]
Sick doctors, sick notes, and swine flu: why coroner’s reports are so yesterday
A couple of weeks ago a doctor friend from California was visiting me in London. Shortly before her arrival date swine flu fever was gripping the world’s media, with California proving a hotbed for new cases. And, illogically I’ll admit, I felt a certain disquiet that a doctor from the first US State to suffer […]
Two Lovers: a film about love, loss and living on the edge
Albert Camus argued that anyone who chooses life over death is an absurd hero. Absurd because Camus could see no logical reason why anyone would choose the pain and suffering that living even the most blessed of lives entails when ultimately the struggle to stay alive will surely fail. And heroic because, in full knowledge […]
“Doctor, I’m normal. Can you help?”
Yes, I know patients don’t actually complain of being normal, but isn’t there sometimes a not so small voice in your head telling you that this is, effectively, what’s happening? Why, you wonder, is this person surprised that if they continue to wear tight shoes their corns will keep returning? And why, oh why, do […]
Tense, nervous headache? How COPE can help you cope.
So how are you coping? Are you managing to make the right choices in these difficult times? And what if you make the wrong decision? Do you worry you might be sued, or worse still that the care people receive will suffer? And no, I’m not talking about the stresses and strains of clinical practice, […]
Medical humanities: what’s in it for patients?
So here’s the thing. No matter how interesting (or otherwise) medical school deans and research grant making bodies find the work done by medical humanities scholars and educators, the bottom line is (almost) always, what’s in it for patients? How will teaching students using art and literature make them better doctors; how will the insights […]
Medicine, Literature, Art and Music: Royal Society of Medicine, London 1st April 2009.
If you’re in the London region you might be interested in this symposium on medicine and the humanities. Focussing on literature, art and music it features some excellent speakers. In keeping with other RSM events, lively debate is sure to follow. http://www.rsm.ac.uk/academ/hsg106.php Venue: The Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole Street, London, W1G 0AE Speakers to […]