Should Moore have Followed his Own Method?

Should benefit–risk assessment have its own drug “label”?

Many consumers and clinicians incorrectly believe that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a new therapeutic implies that its benefits have been proven to exceed its harms. While the FDA could require proof that benefits exceed harms prior to approval, it has been argued that this approach would be infeasible because of prohibitively large sample sizes. One possible alternative w...

Margaret McCartney: Jeremy Hunt should follow his own advice on emergency care.

Jeremy Hunt recently told the House of Commons, “I took my own children to an A&E department at the weekend precisely because I did not want to wait until later on to take them to see a GP. “People do not always know whether the care that they need is urgent or whether it is an emergency, and making GPs available at the weekends will relieve a lot of pressure in A&E departments.” Here is the ne...

Did Menzel Paint His Own Babinski Sign?

Adolph von Menzel (1815–1905), one of the greatest German realistic painters of the nineteenth Century (1), painted his right foot from normal perspective with the great toe extended (Figure 1B). The other toes seem to be relaxed. There are no suggestions of foot deformity like pes cavus. Menzel finished that painting, oil on wood panel, in 1876 (1). He gave no official explanation, why he had ...

Carmine Melino: a Universe by his own.

Carl Djerassi: in his own words.

In honor of the 90th birthday of Professor Carl Djerassi, J. I. Seeman has assembled a collection of poignant quotes and excerpts from Djerassi's writings which embody his remarkable life experiences, his philosophies of life, and his unique personality.