Thinking about dementia and its impact on society can often leave one feeling rather hopeless, despite interesting new approaches to management and treatment, such as those explored a few months ago at Southampton University’s public lecture on ageing at London’s King’s Fund. But last week I had the opportunity to consider dementia in a more […]
In the same month in which British journalist Sally Brampton died at age 60 after purportedly walking into the sea near her home on England’s south coast after decades of crippling depression, the Royal Opera House staged a new opera by composer Philip Venables at the Lyric Hammersmith. 4.48 Psychosis is based on playwright Sarah […]
• What is dengue fever, and who gets it? What are its causes, and can it be prevented? Our latest clinical review provides an overview of the current evidence, including the diagnosis, management, and complications of this globally important infection. • Blogger Alison Criado-Perez is the medical team leader on board the Phoenix, a search and rescue […]
• A letter to the next secretary of state for health In an open letter to the politician who will become secretary of health after the UK general election on 7 May, The BMJ provides a checklist for a healthy NHS, with funding the key issue. “History will not forgive another health secretary whose actions […]
Last year we published the obituary of Arthur Hollman, cardiologist, medical historian, and plantsman, who looked after the garden of the Royal College of Physicians in Regent’s Park in London. In 1978 he implemented a new garden scheme, linking its plants and trees with medicinal uses and British doctors. The college offers regular guided tours […]
After a hiatus of more than 18 months, blogger Sandra Lako provides an update from Sierra Leone, where she has been working for the past nine years, improving access to and quality of healthcare for women and children. “A year ago I would not have believed anyone who told me that I would be in […]
Self prescribing among doctors is legal and commonplace, but its potential problems have been recognised for many years, and regulators are increasingly taking a dim view, writes BMJ Careers editor Tom Moberly in a feature. He reviews the concerns of self prescribing as reflected in guidance from medical authorities around the world, advising doctors against […]
“Why are medical schools attracting so few would-be GPs?” asks Richard Wakeford in a personal view, concluding that the Medical Schools Council is at least partly responsible: “Of 33 members representing undergraduate medical schools just two are GPs, the rest mostly clinician scientists.” His conclusion: “Medical schools must act, and the Medical Schools Council’s membership […]
Earlier this year, The BMJ’s editor in chief, Fiona Godlee, was one of 50 senior UK medical professionals to sign a letter in the Times newspaper about the health benefits of ending investment in fossil fuels, and diverting funds instead to alternative energy and more active forms of transport. On 1 October 2014, The BMJ […]
Online publishing is evolving all the time, providing opportunities to display information in new and different ways. Our two latest State of the Art clinical reviews—still a relatively new type of article in The BMJ—(entitled “Lower urinary tract symptoms in men” and “Bariatric surgery for obesity and metabolic conditions in adults” both include interactive graphics […]