I have taught medical students for over forty years and, after a difficult start and the occasional hiccough, it has, overall, given me enormous satisfaction. Of the key components of teaching – lecturing and nurturing – lecturing was a particular challenge. Lecturing is, if nothing else, a public performance, and my beginnings as a performer […]
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Tony Waterston on climate change, Colombia, and the G20
As the G20 visitors flew in to their meeting on 1 April, paediatricians were gathering in York for a similar reason – to find a way of tackling the health effects of climate change. But we went one better by having a minimal carbon footprint for our meeting, despite hosting 10 countries and 20 organisations. […]
Juliet Walker: BMJ in the news
A BMJ research paper reports that drinking hot tea is strongly linked with an increased risk of developing oesophageal cancer. The study was conducted in the Golestan province, northern Iran, where there is a high incidence of the disease. The BBC wrote that, ‘the finding could explain the increased oesophageal cancer risk in some non-Western populations. […]
Joe Collier on being older
I am now 67 and am having the time of my life. Inevitably, the way I am feeling and acting now is the product of both my age and my recent retirement, and the exact contribution of the two components is difficult to disentangle. I actually retired from being an academic with an active role […]
Juliet Walker: BMJ in the news
Using maggots to help heal ulcers does not sound like the most modern method but a BMJ paper has found that it can be effective. Researchers studied the effects of maggots and Hydrogel on healing ulcers. They found that there was no difference between using maggots or Hydrogel on the healing time for ulcers, but maggot […]
Juliet Walker: BMJ in the news
A BMJ paper has been covered in Computer Weekly this week. The paper reported that a computerised test could be used to calculate whether patients are at risk of Type 2 diabetes and therefore allow doctors to intervene before they develop the disease. The test uses information from patient’s electronic health records and can also be […]
Joe Collier on being an atheist
My belief that a supernatural power such as a god does not exist (ie, my being an atheist), is central to the way I think and act, and also determines how I see and relate to others both as individuals and when they function as groups (as in organised religion). But this is no recent […]
I see, I understand, I care, I act – thanks goodness for doctors…
I once heard of an experiment where a subject was placed in a room – and when smoke appeared under the door, she rightly raised the alarm immediately. However, when the experiment was repeated with another subject, but this time with a handful of actors in the room who deliberately did nothing when the smoke […]
Juliet Walker: BMJ in the news
There is some good news this week for men in their fifties who have not exercised much in the past. A BMJ study published last week shows that taking up exercise between 50 to 60 years old is just as effective as exercising frequently by middle age. This means that it is never to late […]
David Payne: BMJ in the news
Spectator blogger Melanie Phillips attracts lots of comments after flagging up a “big row” between the BMJ and Israel lobbying organisation Honest Reporting. The journal published five Israeli-themed articles last week, one of which concluded that Honest Reporting had targeted a hostile email campaign towards the BMJ five years ago. […]