This blog is about my time as a BMJ Clegg Scholar. The Clegg Scholarship gives medical students from around the world the opportunity to learn about medical journalism in a two month placement at its London offices. […]
Domhnall MacAuley: Big in Japan
Arriving in Tokyo, the signs and maps impenetrable, and rush hour a torrential flood of determined faces in swirls and eddies through the halls of the seven level central station. Without a guide, it would be almost impossible to find one’s way. Thankfully Miki Inoue and Hiroshi Takayanagi, residents in family medicine with Professor Ryuki […]
Anna Donald: Why cancer is humbling
I’ve promised to explain why advanced cancer is humbling. There are many reasons. […]
Liz Wager: Would you review a paper by your ex-husband?
Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by the revelation (from recently released official papers) that the UK Government wanted to suppress findings about the dangers of smoking because it was worried about the possible effect on tax revenues. It’s a great example of the fact that absolutely everybody has some sort of interest in research findings. […]
Anna Donald: Science, a wonderful, slow tortoise
A few days ago, my scans came back. My liver looked like a Jackson Pollock painting. Blobs, blotches, lines everywhere. Three weeks ago, it had looked quite neat. No longer. It’s been attacked by a mob of graffiti artists. My lungs were a bit better, but heading the same way. Chemo time! Oh yay. […]
Harvey Marcovitch: Saving polar bears and children
I had no idea of what it meant when I was asked to put myself up for election as a director of the Council of Science Editors . Since this is largely a US outfit, I wondered about a strategy for the Primaries. Should I concentrate on building close relationships with editors of obscure journals […]
Julian Sheather: Is depression a problem of meaning or of medicine?
In a recent article in the BMJ Paul Biegler returns to a familiar theme in some of the more reflective literature on depression. Should an episode of depression be seen primarily as a biochemical problem, a problem of brain chemistry, or is it a problem tied to the individual’s understanding of the world? […]
Joe Collier: Word watching – checking for tricks
I love words. I love their subtlety, their precision, their power, their influence. For me, they represent the embodiment of our thoughts and so our intellects. The abuse of words hurts as it demeans our minds; likewise the failure to respect words riles as it undermines that most precious of commodities – communication. So what […]
Domhnall MacAuley: Eurovision and health
Here’s a challenge for any commentator – to link the results of the Eurovision song contest and our health care system. The UK, where we pride ourselves as world leaders in contemporary music, had a dismal result on Saturday. […]
Fiona Godlee: Learning safety from other industries
At an international patient safety meeting I attended earlier this month (part of a series, see riskybusiness2008.com), I found myself remembering words from Atul Gawande’s book Complications (if you haven’t read it, I recommend it.) Gawande writes: “We have come to view medicine as both more perfect than it is and less extraordinary than it […]