‘Like all artists of his period, Poussin placed great weight on the clarity and legibility of an allegory.’1 Thus the verdict of Otto Grautoff, in his 1914 monograph on Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665), describing speci!cally the artist’s portrayal of earthly transience and vanity, ‘The Dance of Human Life’. Clarity was already a catchphrase in Poussin scholarship in Grautoff’s day, used most often ...

Each chapter begins with a list of the 'core topics' relating to the chapter title. The core topics are then individually covered using clinical scenarios similar to those encountered in previous OSCE exams. The sample scenarios cover the 5 broad categories encountered in the CEM examinations: clinical examination, skills examination, teaching-based OSCE, communication skills OSCE and the histo...

May we be protected by Allah the Almighty from self-aggrandisement (ta‘ẓīmun al-dhāti تعظيم الذات), self-delusion (wahmun al-dhātiوهم الذات ) and vanity (ghurūr غرور). Our resolve is to always on Path of Divine instead Shaitan. 1. SHIP: Sacrifice (prioritising commitments), Humility (humbling experiences), Intention (solely for Allah), Passion (from heart). 2. FIMA: Immediate involvement in int...

Editor's note: Royce Haiman is a freelance writer and former reporter for The St. Petersburg Times. When she told me this story at a social gathering, I suggested she write about it. The entire country—and certainly Baylor University Medical Center—are working now to both avoid wasteful health care spending and increase customer satisfaction. Although the story occurred in Florida, it could eas...

politicians, poets, and medical reformers, the author has given us a rich and nuanced account of a medicalizing world in which the redefinition of the hospital as a healing space remained at best ambiguous. The work is divided into ten chapters. At the outset, Stevenson engages in a discussion of the traditional outer splendour and ostentation displayed by hospital buildings as houses of God. W...

R ecently, I stumbled on a biography of Edmund Wilson. An American writer, intellect and social critic, Wilson was known for his publications, including Axel’s Castle and Patriotic Gore, as well as his work with Vanity Fair and The New Yorker. Although he came from a completely different era and discipline, I think his saying that “no two persons ever read the same book” provides valuable insig...

Recently, at one of the weekly editors' meetings where we go over the manuscripts that are ready for decision, it was noted that " Reviewers review manuscripts; editors review the reviews. " This summary succinctly encapsulates the editorial practices at the Journal of General Physiology ; it also reinforced earlier suggestions that it might be useful to both authors and reviewers to describe h...

Drawing on interviews with 140 young British males, this paper explores the ways in which men talk about their own bodies and bodily practices, and those of other men. The specific focus of interest is a variety of body modification practices, including working out (at a gym) tattooing, piercing and cosmetic surgery. We want to argue, however, that the significance of this analysis extends beyo...

Miller and Campbell (pp. 180–191, this issue) provide an informative discussion of the importance of considering narcissistic personality trait research when attempting to understand narcissistic personality disorder. Their arguments might seem so straightforward and compelling that they are hardly worth presenting. However, it does seem that this considerable body of literature is at times neg...

Over the weekend following Christmas 2015, as many as 10,000 Muslims convened at Chicago’s McCormick Place for the 14th annual Muslim American Society-Islamic Circle of North America (MAS-ICNA) Convention. Neatly bearded men, typically in casual western clothes were much in evidence, along with a few in business suits and some in traditional, billowing cotton tunics and pants. As for the women,...