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Author Archives: Elen Samuel
Is the patient really ill?
A question that often occurred to me when I was a GP was – Is this patient really ill? Some people obviously weren’t because they came about something else – for general advice for instance. But of the ones who … Continue reading
Managing addiction to drugs – my experiences over the years.
Addiction is unfortunately part of the human condition. It is due to the reward system hard wired into our brains, giving us the feeling of pleasure, which is essential to keep us functioning. Emotions, reproductive drive and the instinct to … Continue reading
Lessons from Orkney.
Like many other people, I read a huge amount of stuff on environmental matters every day, such as on the climate disaster-in-the-making, overconsumption, pollution of the environment by plastic and other man-made materials, extinction of animals and insects, and, at … Continue reading
Posted in Anthropology, Archeology, Food, Global warming, Populaion growth, science
Tagged fertility, Maes Howe, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Orkney, Vikings
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Politics, Health and Devolution.
I don’t usually discussed politics at all in my blog, unless absolutely essential to make a point. However, politics is now intruding on almost every aspect of our lives, all over the world. In the UK, Brexit is affecting the … Continue reading
Posted in Health Delivery, Health Policy, Medicine, Private health care, science
Tagged Brexit, Northern Ireland, Privatisation, Scotland, UK, Wales
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Our children’s future
Global warming and population growth. The Anthropocene. This is the official name for the epoch we are now living in and it means “the age of humans”. It is named this because we humans are causing global change everywhere that … Continue reading
Sexism in Science
There is currently a bit of a storm in scientific circles about sexism in science. Again. An article in New Scientist recently highlighted yet another male scientist who thinks that women can’t or shouldn’t do science – in this case … Continue reading
Posted in Medicine, science
Tagged gender inequality, human development, IQ scores, Mathematics, Nobel Prize, quality in healthcare
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Is the Savannah hypothesis of human evolution really, really dead?
Yes, I am back on anthropology rather than medicine. Remember this theory? Man evolved in Africa from a chimp like ancestor which lived in trees, about 6 million years ago (mya). For some reason (climate change perhaps?) he came down … Continue reading
Posted in Anthropology, aquatic Ape Hypothesis, Elaine Morgan, language, Paleontology
Tagged Ardi, bipedal, evolution of man, hominids, Miocene, Savannah hypothesis
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Why do parts of the media really enjoy criticizing the NHS in Wales?
It is generally considered that the NHS in Wales performs much worse than the English NHS. The Daily Mail is always saying so and many other commentators too. So when Theresa May recently asked – “If the Labour Party have … Continue reading
Posted in Health Delivery, Health Policy, Medicine, old age, Sir David Attenborough
Tagged end=of-life drugs, health, health service, UK
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Virtual Beds anyone?
The current crisis in the NHS is wearingly familiar. There is talk of patients waiting, and occasionally dying, on trolleys before being admitted, ambulances waiting for hours outside hospitals with paramedics before A&E have the space to take over their … Continue reading
Posted in Europe, Health Delivery, Health Management, Health Policy, hospital beds, Medicine, old age
Tagged health service, Trolleys, winter crisis
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Breast surgeon guilty of doing unnecessary operations.
How would you feel if you had had an operation or treatment that you thought was necessary and then found out that you never needed this treatment? If you were told you had cancer but you never had it? Pretty … Continue reading
Elen Samuel, doctor and writer 