Phonetic alphabet
Probably the two most potentially useful skills I learnt in the army were ironing (a skill I try to avoid putting to use at any cost) and knowledge of the phonetic alphabet.
Category Literary Medicine
Nauseous grammar
In the world of medicine there has been a grammatical battle raging for what seems an eternity. "Who are the warring parties?", you ask.
Pseudoscience without sense
Poking fun and self-indulgent chuckling aside, there is a serious aspect to all this senseless pseudoscience.
Pens, Swords and Peer Review
Have you ever submitted a scientific paper to a journal? Here are some insights into the Herculean labours of getting a paper published in a medical journal (with MJA excerpts).
An Empty Hospital?
Some things remain the same, some things change. Political machinations and bureaucratic bungles seem to be universal constants. However, empty hospitals no longer seem to be an issue...
Letting Go
A few experiences in the last week or two have reminded me of the importance of Peter Safar's Laws for the Navigation of Life:
A Philosophical Death
It is sometimes forgotten that one of the most important goals of medicine is to help people achieve a good death. It is here that medicine and philosophy intersect.
Some days you just need to listen
Fixing stuff can be hard...
They meant well
I am a doctor who questions a lot of medical dogma. Perhaps my own, somewhat sad medical story at least in part explains this oppositional personality trait. Valendar F Turner FRACS FACEM In 1950, when I was five years old,…
Nothing in medicine makes sense
Nothing in medicine makes sense. Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution
Perspective
In a world where we continue to find ways to make it easier for us to connect with one another, we still end up spending more time alone.
Out, Out
Frost's poem, "Out, Out", powerfully evokes this senseless madness that we see daily in the ED and in the ICU