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Baxter did not want to 'intermeddle in the mysteries of (physicians') art' but wanted to tell 'the learned men of this noble profession... what God and conscience will expect from them'. His directives can be summarised as follows: 1. Put the patient first We are to 'be sure that the saving...
Teenage pregnancies on the increase The British teenage pregnancy level is now the highest in Europe. Currently 9.4 per 1000 13-15 year-olds and 63 per 1000 16-19 year-olds get pregnant each year:[1],[2] twice the rate in Germany, four times that in France and seven times that in Holland. 87% of...
Alternative medicine is rising rapidly up the heathcare agenda. One in four people in the UK use at least one form of alternative medicine and three out of four people are in favour of alternative therapies being available on the NHS. One study cited by a recent BMA report suggested...
Deadly QuestionsDeadly Questions in the October 1998 issue of Nucleus left me disappointed by its negative attitude to the Human Genome Project and to pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. Firstly, the Human Genome project is not geared to ‘search and destroy’ abnormal fetuses. If it were it would herald the end of...
The whole of the New Testament, indeed the whole Bible, is about Jesus Christ. By contrast, the Qur’an, which is about the same length as the New Testament, only mentions Jesus in a few of its 114 chapters. What little there is in the Qur’an both affirms and denies Gospel...
A third of junior doctors are refusing on moral grounds to perform abortions according to a study conducted by the Abortion Law Reform Association (ALRA).[1] In some NHS hospitals all juniors have exercised their right to conscientious objection under the 1968 Abortion Act. David Paintin, emeritus reader in gynaecology and...
The Family Planning Association (FPA) and Pharmacy Healthcare Scheme joined forces this Christmas to encourage the use of emergency ‘contraception’.[1] The FPA estimates that 650,000 prescriptions are written each year for emergency contraception and that the overall risk of pregnancy after a single episode of unprotected sex is 2-4% rising...
The status of the embryo is one issue that has profound implications for the way we practise medicine; not least for the advice we give about contraception. Contraceptives usually act by one of three ways; by preventing ovulation, by interfering with sperm and ovum transport, or by preventing implantation of...
The developing world is still a popular destination for medical students on electives. Some are drawn by the chance to experience a new country and a different culture. Others go because of the opportunity to get 'hands on' experience and still others to test a 'calling' to future work in...
Search and destroy The Human Genome Project's aim of locating all our 100,000 genes (including those causing or predisposing to about 6,000 inherited diseases) is already well underway and should be largely fulfilled by 2004. In the last eight years about 30 major gene companies have been launched and over 2,000...
