Just like the grapheme /x/, which I discussed last time, the grapheme /q/ is among the symbols in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) that do not represent the sounds of the English letters they resemble. Followed by a u in English and pronounced kw, it is instead used in IPA to represent the voiceless velar […]
Category: Columnists
Desmond O’Neill: The success and opportunities arising from population ageing
There is an extra uplift from spring conferences which mirrors the freshness of the season. My own traverse started in Vienna with a reflection on how the hegemony of the English language impoverishes our access to German speaking culture, distancing us from a rich spirit of inquiry that suffuses Germanophone congresses. Philosophical and cultural topics […]
Sandra Lako: Ebola in Sierra Leone—one year on
Today marks the one year anniversary since Ebola was confirmed in Sierra Leone. It is not a happy one year anniversary, but there is hope. Thankfully the numbers have significantly reduced from a top high of about 500 new cases per week to about eight cases per week. That is due, amongst other things, to an […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . The X factor
There are symbols in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) that do not represent the sounds of letters they look like. Among these is the grapheme /x/, which does not represent any of the sounds of the letter ex, but instead represents the sound of a voiceless velar fricative, as in an obsolete English word for […]
David Oliver: Do bring me problems
In her book Smile or Die: How Positive Thinking Fooled America and the World, Barbara Ehrenreich brilliantly deconstructed this cult. Her starting point was her own diagnosis of breast cancer and the bullying attitude that if you don’t “fight” the cancer and stay “positive” in the face of distress and worry, then your demise is […]
William Cayley: Less is more
Both seasoned clinicians and learners in today’s medical environment receive both explicit and unspoken messages that the best medicine involves advanced technology, the latest medications, and highly specialized care. Evidence based medicine, on the other hand, advocates the “conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . It’s all Gweek to me
The BMJ‘s readers, even those who have not studied Greek as a language, ancient or modern, will probably be familiar with most, if not all, of the letters in its alphabet, so widespread are they in scientific terminology. Among medical uses, we have α-adrenoceptors; β-interferon; γ globulin; δ opioid receptors; ε-aminocaproic acid; DNA polymerase η; […]
Billy Boland: What does continuous improvement actually mean?
I don’t know if it’s just me, but I’ve found a lot of what’s written about “continuous improvement” practically impenetrable. On the face of it, it has a lot to offer. Who can argue with an approach that systematically drives up quality? The trouble is, I’ve always found the methodology elusive. I realise that I’ve […]
Richard Smith: Time for a drive to register all global births and deaths
If your birth is not registered then you don’t exist, and yet a third of global births are not registered. If your death is not registered then your wife (or husband) may have poisoned you and not been caught, but two thirds of global deaths are not registered. Registration of births and deaths also allows […]
The BMJ Today: The NHS in the aftermath of the UK’s general election
• Gareth Iacobucci reports that the National Health Action Party secured just over 20 000 votes across 12 constituencies in the UK general election. In three constituencies, it achieved fourth place finishes. The National Health Action Party was formed by doctors and health campaigners in 2012 in protest against government policies for the NHS. • BMJ editors […]