In March 2015, the cover of National Geographic featured a picture of the moon-landing with a title The War on Science and a strapline: climate change does not exist; evolution never happened; the moon landing was fake; vaccination can lead to autism; genetically modified food is evil. See Here. Even before elections in Europe and America in 2016 gave us Fake News, a … [Read more...] about Something Happened – to Science and to Us
Ordinarily Well: Storm in a D Cup
Ordinarily Well: The Case for Antidepressants Peter Kramer 2016 This book was very difficult to review. In Ordinarily Well, Dr. Peter Kramer makes two arguments that I agree with. One is that clinical observation—the interaction by which a medical professional learns about a patient—counts for something. The other is that clinical trials, or evidence-based medicine more … [Read more...] about Ordinarily Well: Storm in a D Cup
Kramer v Kramer
Editorial Note: Kramer v Kramer had been a hit movie a decade earlier. Listening to Prozac offered a chance to have a review called Kramer v Kramer but the journal - Psychological Medicine - was not amused and ditched the title. Here'e the review written at the same time as the Porter and others. In a later post I will try to explain what puzzles me about the Porter and other … [Read more...] about Kramer v Kramer
What Happened?
In the early to mid 1990s something happened. The view that many social commentators and academics offer is that neo-liberalism swept into town, dissolved society and turned us all into individuals. This is a non-explanation in that no-one can spell out what neo-liberalism is - so the explanation boils down to something happened. The something is caught in a review of … [Read more...] about What Happened?
329: A Study in What?
Editorial Note: This post will be an easy and obvious read if you're Irish. If you're not, with Google or whatever it should be accessible and indeed the little bit of extra effort may make it a more rewarding read. There is a warning below in respect of one item you might choose to Google. There is also one made up word that won't appear in Google - until after this post is … [Read more...] about 329: A Study in What?
Something Stupid This Way Comes
The picture shows Franz Mesmer magnetising a patient. In between his hands and her head and heart there is a set of little slivers of metal, capable of being magnetised - shown by the fact they are all lined up the same way. The therapist was able to influence magnetic fields and could realign bits inside her similarly, undoing whatever blockages were causing her problem - … [Read more...] about Something Stupid This Way Comes
All the Better for the Fishes
Jose Mario Bergoglio in Chile 2018: To believe in us you have to have Faith, but for me to believe in you you have to bring me proof Over 150 years ago, describing most of the medicines then available as junk, Oliver Wendell Holmes came up with one of the most famous phrases about medical practice, when he said that: If all the materia medica (drugs) could be sunk to the … [Read more...] about All the Better for the Fishes
DH 2 DH
January 28 2019. Open letter to David Haslam, NICE Dear David, Our paths nearly crossed at an IAPT meeting in London in 2016 but you opted not to speak in a session that had me covering “Some Questions for NICE” – a lecture covering issues that have given rise to this letter. We brushed by each other in May 2018 when Chris Van Tulleken, in The Doctor who gave up … [Read more...] about DH 2 DH
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Surveillor
The recent moral panic around the Death of MR and the involvement of Instagram and Facebook in her death and maybe that of others is intriguing. Worthy of John Le Carre - at his Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy best. This may be a cynical attempt by the old media – the BBC or NBC, the New York Times or the Guardian to put pressure on new media like Facebook and Google. There are … [Read more...] about Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Surveillor
The Bridgend Suicide Mystery
Dead Contact Following last week's post Are Old or New Media to Blame for Suicide, I had the following email from papyrus: Ged.Flynn@papyrus.co.uk David I’d be happy to have a discussion with you. Perhaps you could contact me. Many thanks Ged Ged is apparently a little more senior within the organisation than Chris. Ged you can get me on the phone number … [Read more...] about The Bridgend Suicide Mystery