An unusual libel case is currently making its way through the Australian courts. The plaintiff is a person who goes by the name of Roxanne Tickle. Incidentally, Tickle is a real English surname originating from the town of Tickhill in the UK county of Yorkshire. Roxanne Tickle is what some people call a transwoman. Now, in order to [...]
The highly esteemed King’s College London recently announced the ‘Largest study to understand the support needs of young people experiencing gender incongruence.’ Why do I say this is nonsense? To answer the question, allow me a short digression. When I was a medical student an anecdote was doing the rounds to illustrate why doctors should always examine patients [...]
They ought to be ashamed of themselves Dr Tom Dolphin, who bears more than a passing resemblance to John Cleese, star of Fawlty Towers and other popular British comedy shows, has recently been appointed Chair of the British Medical Association (BMA), replacing Professor Philip Banfield. In August 2024 I wrote to Professor Banfield, protesting about doctors going on strike [...]
When I did my training for general practice it included a residency in psychiatry. From time to time we would get a call from a GP requesting admission for a patient who was threatening suicide. After taking more details the consultant usually commented, ‘This patient is not mentally ill – she’s upset,’ but he admitted her anyway. Dr [...]
Professor Sir Chris Whitty, the UK government’s Chief Medical Adviser, lays it on thick. At a recent symposium on medical ethics, after reminding us that ‘Smoking is an appalling way to die, it kills people in multiple ways,’ he is reported as saying that ‘getting smoking down to zero and destroying the cigarette industry should be an aim [...]
Recently I had a few business matters to attend to in London. I then did some sightseeing with my wife in Edinburgh before moving to Germany for a few days to visit friends. Rail Ninja rip-off The fun started before we left home. Thinking it would be easier to book train tickets from London to Edinburgh directly with [...]
What is the best way to quit smoking? This very question highlights a regrettable lack of understanding in official circles about why smokers smoke in the first place, and how they can quit this abnormal behaviour. It needs to understood that you don’t need a way, method, or technique to quit smoking. You just need to quit smoking. [...]
I could hardly believe my eyes when I read of the latest crackpot idea to try to save the NHS money. It’s mentioned in an opinion piece in The British Medical Journal (BMJ) by a part-time GP. It seems a scheme is being proposed to reduce demand for hospital appointments by dissuading GPs from making referrals. (At least [...]
It is a truth that appears not to be universally acknowledged that in order to stop doing something you have to start doing it first. People are not born smokers. Public health organisations are much exercised to appeal for funding to run stop smoking clinics. They have a modest success with smokers who seek their help in supporting [...]
In the original story by Hans Christian Andersen, the Emperor was merely deluded that he was fully dressed when he wasn’t. But what really happened was that the Emperor was suffering from a neurodevelopmental disorder that caused him to be so distracted and excitable that he rushed out of his palace to parade around stark naked in [...]