And so…after two years and seven months at the Pentagon as the Special Assistant to the Assistant Commandant and Senior Program Liaison for Community Health Integration in the United States Marine Corps, I moved on without fanfare to a new position with an equally long title within the Department of Defense. It was a tremendous […]
Category: Columnists
Richard Smith: If Volkswagen staff can be criminally charged so should fraudulent scientists
A man who steals a milk bottle may face a criminal charge. In contrast, a scientist who invents data, defrauds funders, and publishes fabricated data that may lead to patient harm is highly unlikely to face criminal charges. The news that Volkswagen staff may be criminally prosecuted for manipulating emission tests raises again the question […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Adam’s apple
The Hebrew name of the first man, Adam (אדם), was also used to mean “man” itself, although the more usual word is “ish” (איש). The origin of the name is unknown, but the punning author of Genesis juxtaposes the name Adam with the word for the dust of the earth, in Hebrew adamah (אדםה), from which […]
Richard Smith: Reading for a long life
At 63 I’m preparing for my capacities and faculties to fall away, and I think about what I hope to preserve. Taking being with those I love as a given, the most important things to me are in order: reading, writing, listening to music, walking, and looking at art. I also love theatre, food, wine, […]
Desmond O’Neill: Nordic insights into the art of ageing and dying well
I hate to miss the opening ceremonies of European geriatric medicine conferences, with the individual interplay between this most complex of medical specialties with the national characteristics of the host nation. Norway is notable for its ability to fuse simplicity and sophistication, typified by the striking new Opera House in Oslo where the sloping roof provides […]
William Cayley: Life saving science?
This past week saw the interestingly coincident publication of a reanalysis of “Study 329” in The BMJ and an opinion piece in the New York Times, calling for more rapid dissemination of news about “medical breakthroughs.” “Restoring Study 329” reanalyzed data from the (controversial) 2001 study and demonstrated that, lo and behold, paroxetine and imipramine may not […]
Richard Smith: How well are countries doing in responding to the NCD pandemic?
A pandemic of NCD (non-communicable disease) is sweeping across the world, particularly in poor countries, causing much suffering and premature death and swamping health systems. NCD (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and common cancers) accounts for 63% of global deaths (37 million annually), with 80% occurring in low and middle income countries. Almost […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Adam’s throat-bowl
Of the dozen early medical words I found in the Old English dictionary called the Epinal glossary, five were anatomical: átr (atter, gall, or bitterness; Latin Bile); bledrae (bladder; Latin Vessica); næsgristlae (gristle, cartilage; Latin Cartilaga); throtbolla (throat-boll, the Adam’s apple; Latin Gurgulio); thuma (thumb; Latin Pollux) Three of these are still with us: bladder, […]
Desmond O’Neill: 45 years of solitude
One of the rare pleasures of life is to encounter a movie without the encrustation of prior critical approval, hype, or derision. One of my stand-out cinematic experiences occurred at a very busy stage of my life when I was brought to The Matrix without any prior awareness of plot or critical reception. The sheer […]
Richard Smith: Promoting compassion
Edinburgh University’s Global Health Academy has together with Stanford University created a Global Compassion Initiative, and, as I walked last week towards the launch of the initiative in one of Edinburgh’s most elegant houses I wondered exactly what compassion is. I wondered too whether you can teach and promote compassion. What I was sure about […]