By the end of next month rural India could have an extra 5.2m toilets as part of a pre-election pledge by Narendra Modi, now prime minister, to build “toilets first and temples later.” Readers of The BMJ will no doubt be heartened by the Indian government’s announcement, coming seven years after sanitation topped a reader poll […]
Category: The BMJ today
The BMJ Today: Society and healthcare
Recently, The BMJ published two articles that address important areas of contact between medicine and society. One deals with the best way to deter scientific fraud, the other with potential changes to the healthcare system in Scotland if this nation becomes independent. On 18 September, Scottish voters will decide whether Scotland will become an independent country. […]
The BMJ Today: Helping GPs make better decisions
After being one year out of clinical practice, and working full time in medical editing at The BMJ, I decided to take some time off from work and return this week to the trenches of the healthcare system as a locum GP in my native Portugal, where I remain licensed to practice. I personally feel […]
The BMJ Today: Laws on money and sex
Being a doctor can sometimes feel glamorous. Soon after graduating from medical school, I found myself on a high floor of a fancy hotel in downtown Chicago, waking up to the sun rising over Lake Michigan, a perfect view through a glass wall. Yes, not a window, a wall. Plush carpets, marble bathroom, you know—the […]
The BMJ Today: Explaining telomeres
Telomeres are getting a lot of attention at the moment. At the 64th Nobel laureate meeting in Lindau two weeks ago, Elizabeth Blackburn (who won the 2009 Nobel prize in medicine) drew my attention to the role of telomeres in the cellular aging process. […]
The BMJ Today: Monday’s reflections on alcohol
Nothing seems more appropriate on a Monday than to think about the after effects of alcohol. We know that drinking too much is bad for health, but many have always taken comfort in the “fact” that moderate daily intake is associated with a lower cardiovascular risk. The question remains whether light to moderate drinking will […]
The BMJ Today: BMJ editor wins award, plus research on alcohol and heart disease
The office is abuzz today with news that The BMJ‘s editor in chief Fiona Godlee was named the Editor of the Year last night at the PPA (Professional Publishers Association) awards—known in the industry as the Oscars of the magazine world. Earlier in the week, our reporter Gareth Iacobucci was highly commended in the Medical […]
The BMJ Today: Coca-Cola . . . for real?
Coca-Cola tackling obesity might sound surprising, not least if we consider the close relationship the soft drinks manufacturer enjoys with the rotund Father Christmas. But the company recently announced that it was extending its scheme to tackle obesity (piloted last year in Birmingham) to 50 parks in three English cities, committing £20m to help local […]
The BMJ Today: “Don’t worry. That’s perfectly normal.”
Being impersonated by Peter Cook must be an honour held by few doctors, aside perhaps from Cook’s Beyond the Fringe colleague Jonathan Miller, who trained as a neuropathologist. Similarly, having an Obituary in The BMJ written by an award winning novelist and historian is not an everyday occurrence. Somewhat in contrast to these elevated celebrations, […]
The BMJ Today: Alzheimer’s disease and the creation of news
Today’s UK national media are full of stories about a possible blood test that might predict progression to Alzheimer’s disease. “Blood test to give early warning of Alzheimer’s,” says the front page of the Times. “Blood test to predict Alzheimer’s could help stall dementia,” says the Daily Telegraph. “New blood test ‘paves way for drugs […]