2001

There are two issues arising from the BCMJ of July/August 2001 which require further comment.

Dr Sehmer refers to “Dubious Mercury Poisoning Results” (BCMJ 2001; 43(6):320). If a chelating agent had been given prior to a urine sample being obtained, and the resulting heavy metals were found to be “20 to 30 times above baseline” (and Dr Sehmer does not define this entity), from where does Dr Sehmer imagine such heavy metals, including mercury to have come—out of thin air?

I have recently received a letter from the Registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, now entering the political arena with words of wisdom and strong advice regarding possible job action by physicians this summer.

The College’s letter reminds us that its mandate is to regulate the practice of medicine “in the public interest.”

We need a tea party.

My fees are being drawn from my pocket firstly for the “public interest,” and now, secondly, for political ends with which I may not agree—and about which I have no say.

Thank you.

Honored? You bet. Although I admit to having suffered considerable vasomotor instability when Dr Tim Rowe first invited me to be the guest editor for a BCMJ issue dedicated to the menopause. At the issue’s inception—or perhaps conception in view of the lengthy gestation—I had not thought it would be a twin issue. I was offered the opportunity to invite whomever I felt could best clarify some of the issues surrounding the topic of menopause. My colleagues’ lives are extremely busy, and I am most grateful to them for contributing such excellent articles.

References

Several people have asked me recently how the BCMJ decides what to print each month. My quick response usually is that it is not really a very formal process, we just print them as we get them. However, after thinking about it a bit I realized a couple of things. First, the process is really more formal and selective than that. Second, the question needs an answer with a broader brush stroke. Finally, if there are quite a few people asking the question it is probably a good excuse to write an editorial.

There are occasional lapses in the smooth flow of contained, semi-organized electromagnetic pulses that for some strange reason result in sentience. These brief lapses in sentience we humans lightly refer to as “Oops, I’m sorry, I forgot.”

To an editor, a brief lapse means that someone forgot to write and submit a scheduled editorial and the editor (me) has to write something interesting, informative, riveting—or at the very least, humorous—in about 15 minutes.