Dodgy death statistics in Flanders
“Die, my dear Doctor! That's the last thing I shall do,” said the 19th Century British foreign secretary Viscount Palmerston, not long before he slipped...
British toddler Alfie Evans dies in hospital
Protesters have attempted to storm Alder Hey Hospital. Terminally ill British toddler Alfie Evans has died just a little under one week after having life...
Wow! How many people are Flemish doctors REALLY euthanasing?
Only about 15% of cases are officially reported Only about 15% of euthanasia cases in the semi-autonomous region of Flanders, in Belgium, are being reported,...
World’s first total penis and scrotum transplant raises ethical questions
Afghan veteran maimed by IED is optimistic about his future A reconstructive surgery team at Johns Hopkins University has successfully performed the world’s first total...
The ethical complexities of ageing
Two new themed editions of journals deal with the ethics of ageing. The “ethics of ageing” has become a pressing concern in recent years, with...
Managing miracle expectations in clinical medicine
What do you do when someone expects a medical miracle? Despite the increasingly atheistic nature of Western countries, many people still believe in miracles. In...
What do you do when a medical hero is also a villain?
Thomas Parran is now persona non grata. Former US Surgeon General Thomas Parran was best known for his work in championing a revolutionary public health...