July

Dr Mark Schonfeld received a Doctors of Law degree, honoris causa, from the Justice Institute of British Columbia for his contributions to the medical profession and the community at large.

By Margaret McCartney. London: Pinter and Martin, 2013. ISBN 978-1-78066-000-4. Paperback, 335 pages. $22.

The winning entry from the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s 2015 Art as Adjuvant writing competition.

She tumbled and tumbled, down, down, down. There was a bang, and then nothing.

Instantly, she slept.

In and out, in and out. Her breath kept perfect metred time. The grown-ups, having seen the fall, wailed as they scooped her up in arms. They ran the way that children run, not looking at the ground.

I am puzzled by the full-page advertorial that appeared in the May issue of the BCMJ [2015;57:152].

First, what does the neologism “advertorial” mean? An advertisement combined with an editorial? Or approved by the editor? Is it an advertisement dressed in respectable clothes hiding its dubious raiment, such as being sponsored by an organization with commercial motives? I’m sure if it were sponsored and/or paid for by the very respectable Parkinson Society British Columbia (which doesn’t get a mention) that fact would have been made plainly obvious.

Many BC doctors are familiar with the antihistamine with the brand name Benadryl to contain diphenhydramine (25/50 mg), to be used up to four times daily.

Brand-name Benadryl may contain different antihistamines, and dosage may range from once daily to four times a day. Side effects (e.g., level of drowsiness) may also be different. For example, Benadryl sold in London, United Kingdom, contains cetirizine (10 mg to be used once daily). In Copenhagen, Denmark, it contains acrivastin(e) (8 mg to be used up to three times daily).