“Do you feel down, depressed, or hopeless? Are you bothered by little interest or pleasure in doing things?” Now that the practice I work for is part of an accountable […]
Columnists
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Nose-ography
While editing the forthcoming edition of Meyler’s Side Effects of Drugs: The International Encyclopedia of Adverse Drug Reactions and Interactions, I came across a suspected teratogenic effect of high dose oral […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Conjugation
A case of Vernet’s syndrome, unilateral paralysis of the 9th, 10th, and 11th cranial nerves, caused me to read up about the jugular foramen and tumours therein. The jugular foramen, […]
Neville Goodman: dead, revived, and mixed metaphors
Metaphors have a life and get tired, but dead metaphors are not just ones that have become very tired indeed. Dead metaphors have lost their original imagery, and have become […]
William Cayley: Who are you?
“The Patient” is everywhere. He is in consult notes, she is in hospital admission notes, he is in letters, and she is even in my daily dictations and procedure notes. […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
My patient Pat damaged a knee skiing abroad, had it fixed locally, and limped home. “Should I keep on taking these tablets they gave me, Doc? They’re to help me […]
The BMJ Today: Thinking about common and not so common conditions
• Pityriasis versicolor is a superficial fungal infection of the skin that is commonly seen in general practice. The latest practice pointer looks at its diagnosis, differential diagnosis, management, and […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Phonemes shmonemes
I referred my patient Pat for a specialist opinion. The consultation was not a success. “That specialist registrar you referred me to was totally useless,” said Pat. “What an insolent […]
Neville Goodman: From metaphor to cliché
While on metaphor watch, certain phrases and ideas will recur. Metaphor is one of the broadest figures of speech. I use the Concise Oxford Dictionary (COD), which defines it as […]
Paul Glasziou: Six proposals for evidence based medicine’s future
This blog is part of a series of blogs linked with BMJ Clinical Evidence, a database of systematic overviews of the best available evidence on the effectiveness of commonly used […]