Is it time that we had another go at eliminating malaria from the world? According to Nicholas White, prof at Bangkok, we already have the necessary tools and do not need to wait for a vaccine. “We can do it now, and it won’t cost that much. […]
Most of us are willing to concede, with varying degrees of regret, that civilised nations need standing armies, and that for these to be effective, soldiers need to be trained to kill and to withstand the brutality of battle. We have come a long way from the attitudes towards mental collapse in battle crudely depicted […]
from Auguries of Innocence A truth that’s told with bad intent Beats all the lies you can invent. […]
What is the equation used to calculate the cardiovascular mortality burden in populations due to higher-than-optimum blood glucose? Pencils at the ready: you have thirty minutes. Or you may prefer to read this paper, which estimates that cardiovascular deaths associated with mildly elevated blood sugar are about twice those associated with diabetes. […]
As I approach the threshold of old age, I wonder whether I will accept the process of crumbling with good grace, or discover that I have a strong desire to postpone death. I suspect that like most people I won’t be consistent and won’t want to discuss the matter. This is a dilemma raised by […]
I write on Nov 11th, when we remember the dead of all wars, but especially those of the Great War, which ended with an armistice on this date, allowing the world to prepare for newer and greater brutalities. A quarter of those sent out from Britain lay dead. Nobody who took part was unmarked. […]
The cover of this week’s Lancet declares that “It is less contentious to promote abstinence and faithfulness than sex education, condoms, and safe abortion, but these are what is needed. […]
In an early episode of Blackadder, our hero has to fend off the eager amorous attentions of a large hairy infanta from Spain, played by Miriam Margoyles. This study from Madrid shows that ladies of such physique are by no means rare in Spain: 28% of overweight and obese women there have polycystic ovarian syndrome, […]
The Lancet rarely condescends to publish qualitative research, but this paper slips in because it calls itself a systematic review and deals with factors which shape young people’s sexual behaviour. Understanding these is critical to limiting the HIV epidemic, since half of new infections are acquired between the ages of 15 and 24. So this […]
This easy-to-spot fungus has spines instead of gills, and is therefore known as the hedgehog in England. The French name for it, pied de mouton, is a fanciful description of its overall shape. On some lucky late autumn afternoon in the woods you may catch sight of its creamy caps glowing amongst the moss or […]