No, I am not about to declare myself a closet trekkie. I have in mind the decision by Judge Marco Billi to jail six Italian seismologists for giving ‘false assurances’ before an earthquake hit L’Aquila in 2009, a decision, as the BBC just couldn’t help saying, that sent “shockwaves” through the scientific community. What made […]
What can Bletchley Park teach us about organisations and organisational life? I have just read an excellent book by Christopher Grey, Decoding Organization (great title), who brings his academic experience in organisational studies, together with a deep delve into archives, to the iconic site of Bletchley Park. Much has been written on this, but it […]
Introducing the topic of smoking in pregnancy as “an orphan subject in this area” seemed the right choice of words to the handful of people who turned up for the session out of the thousands participating in the congress of the International Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetricians (FIGO) in Rome earlier this month. WHO is […]
Migration has always been a source of population growth in Europe, and in recent decades it has become the principal driver of urban growth throughout much of the EU, if not Europe in general. Given the continuing decline in fertility and the rapidly ageing nature of Europe’s domestic situation, migration can be expected to continue growing as a way […]
Medicine was the theme of this summer’s issue of Granta, the magazine of new writing. A gift for anyone with an interest in narrative medicine. “What does that even mean, ‘Narrative Medicine’? I’m never totally sure what that means, but I think that’s part of the point, that it means different things to different people…” […]
It is not often that I find myself quoting Moshe Dyan, but his aperçu that you don’t make peace with your friends has gained wide currency. In medical terms this might best be translated that our debates and advocacy are best shaped in dialogue where there is true opposition and dissent. I was reminded of […]
In the nineteenth century there were few standards in medical education. Students would often do an apprenticeship with a general practitioner and gradually gain experience in the trade. They had to pay for their education—which barred all but those from the privileged classes from becoming a doctor. For those who did persevere with their education […]
My mother is widely regarded in many circles as something of a medical expert. What she lacks in actual knowledge is made up for by unbridled confidence. For one thing, she proudly gabbles the names of drugs and diseases after the first syllable so conversations quickly degenerate into a medical guessing game. She was also […]
A new flagpole greeted us in Arafat Square in the centre of Ramallah, topped by the Palestinian flag (see photo). Some five metres below the top, a figure could be seen shinning to the top, and it wasn’t an image of Arafat himself, nor was it a real person. The figure represents the Palestinian nation […]
It is 11 months since the conservative People’s Party came to power in Spain, and in that time there has been a distinct lack of clarity and transparency in their aims, particularly with regard to their healthcare plans. Spanish president Mariano Rajoy does not seem to have the word transparency in his dictionary. Spain has […]