One word stands out from those listed in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) as having been first recorded in 1983 (Table 1): Rett [syndrome], an X-linked disorder, with slow development, […]
Columnists
“The purpose of power is to give it away”—what covid can teach us about organ donation
Nye Bevan, the son of a coal miner and arguably the founder of the NHS, once said “The purpose of getting power is to be able to give it away.” […]
Abraar Karan: Give people better tools to stop viral transmission, and trust that they will use them
If public health systems don’t trust individuals, individuals will also not trust public health, writes Abraar Karan […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I Use a Word . . . How many waves make an epidemic?
Dictionaries not uncommonly include abridged versions of words and phrases. The abridged biomedical words in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) listed as being first cited in the 1970s are given […]
Richard Smith: Remembering the early days of AIDS
I started as the BBC Breakfast Time doctor in January 1983, six months after a new disease was given the name AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). When the producers asked […]
David Oliver: Covid deniers’ precarious Jenga tower is collapsing on contact with reality
Our national pandemic health protection response in the UK has been undermined at every turn by misinformation and disinformation from self styled “libertarians,” “lockdown sceptics,” “truth seekers,” covid deniers, conspiracy […]
Richard Smith: Peer reviewers—time for mass rebellion?
I’ve spent about six hours over the last two days reviewing two scientific papers, and the experience has made me wonder if it is time for peer reviewers to rise […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I Use a Word . . . Viruses
In reviewing words that have been first recorded in the 50 years since I qualified as a doctor, I have noticed how frequently names of viruses have appeared, rather like […]
Giles Maskell: And that’s an order!
“I’ve just ordered a scan.” “Re-quested. You’ve just requested a scan.” This exchange between junior doctor and radiologist takes place countless times every day in hospitals across the UK. It’s […]
Daniel Sokol: Doctors should not criticise people who flout covid rules
The covid-19 pandemic has caused such chaos and misery in hospitals that some doctors are taking to social media and the press to express anger at people who flout covid […]