Recently I asked a leader of a major research funder what proportion of its grants led to a publication. “I’ve no idea,” he answered, “but it’s probably 20-30%. What bothers me the most is that it’s the positive stuff that gets published. You do an experiment day after day until it ‘works.’ You then publish […]
Wimbledon is over (well done Andy Murray), but London still has a wealth of other treats to offer. A trip to the Science Museum, for example, where the Beyond the Lab exhibition is well worth a visit. It showcases nine “citizen science innovators,” selected to illustrate how people working alone in their own homes, can […]
Global health is in a state of constant flux. Trends are perpetually changing and evolving, and new challenges arise on an almost weekly basis. The great gains seen in the fight against many infectious diseases are accompanied by increases in mental ill health, and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer in […]
Negotiations, four emergency care only strikes, a threatened imposition, one full strike, a referendum rejecting the contract and an imposition. It’s been an interesting few months. Many junior doctors are jaded by the experience and struggling with the continuing uncertainty: will there be further strikes, what impact will “Brexit” have upon the NHS, what will […]
NEJM 7 July 2016 Vol 375 Bayesian cancer trials I’m glad I haven’t got any cancer that I know of. I’m not unique in that, but I’m of an age when friends start getting cancer, and when they ask for advice it really brings home the current realities of oncology. This is the Wild West, […]
So, we now know the results of the referendum, and the government will have to decide how to proceed to the next stage of negotiations. I am talking, of course, not about 52:48 but about 58:42—in other words, the referendum on the junior hospital doctors’ contract. To understand the word “referendum” requires an understanding of […]
“Are you ashamed of yourself now?” This was a patient’s response when her doctor wanted to start her on a statin. Every week I work with up to 30 General Practitioners in Training on their study day for general practice, and one of them shared the difficult conversation that had surrounded this comment. I had […]
Our Rohingyan community leader sits with us in Springvale Community Centre, Melbourne, Australia, educating us on what he perceives as the major risks for the transmission of hepatitis B virus in Myanmar. He reports that Burmese people love to drink Red Bull, Coca Cola, and tinned juice. However, in Myanmar these canned drinks are kept […]
The anguish and despair caused by a public tragedy can be overwhelming. At such times the natural human response is to try to make sense of events, which allows us to grieve together. The media are at the forefront of this process, distilling their narrative from a mix of public sentiment and private opinion. So […]
Recently I had the opportunity to watch a special screening of “Frontline Doctors: Winter Migrant Crisis” supported by Doctors of the World UK. Originally shown on the BBC in March, this uncompromising documentary follows Chris and Xand Van Tulleken across Europe, observing migrants fleeing during winter, and offers an insight into the sheer scale of […]