The phrase inconvenient truth, made famous by Al Gore’s movie, has unfortunately for humanity turned out to be not only inconvenient and true, but quite prophetic about the climate. Climate change, on current projections, threatens the very life support systems on which human civilisation depends
The ancient Chinese curse to live in changing times applies more to the health system in western countries than ever before. A number of factors are contributing to a period of immense challenge and opportunity. In the past, health systems have evolved through evolution with gradual change, and this will probably be the major modus operandi for changes in the health system in the years ahead
It may surprise you, but the first dreams of artificial intelligence did not arise in the basements of an MIT engineering lab, or the cosy rooms of an Oxford college. In fact, these dreams did not arise at any modern university or institution. The Iliad, Homer’s epic about the Trojan War, provides the oldest surviving record of a description of artificial intelligence
I begin with a few caveats. As a non-Aboriginal Australian, I am careful to avoid joining the legions of whitefellas who tell Aboriginal people how to live their lives. Nor do I portray myself as an expert in Aboriginal health. I do not have the solution(s) to achieving equality in the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal compared to non-Aboriginal people, and anyone who claims they have is deluded, dangerous, or both
Interest in COVID-19 has made many people aware of the so called Spanish flu pandemic, which killed millions worldwide post World War I. We also have some recollection of the more recent SARS, MERS and Ebola outbreaks, though none of these came to Australia.
Terri Schiavo, an American woman aged 41 years, was diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state (“brain dead”) and was kept alive by a feeding tube. Her husband, Michael Schiavo, was Terri’s guardian and, after three doctors had testified that she was in an irreversible vegetative state, he asked that the feeding tube be removed and that she be allowed to die
‘Rage against the dying of the light’, so wrote the Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas, to his dying father in 1951. He is referring to his father’s impending death, but he uses the imagery of loss of facility and senses to convey this. For many, the fear of loss of sight is as great as death
The explosion of knowledge in relation to the genetic basis of multiple conditions means that screening for the risk of preventable disease as well as for the risk of having a child with a genetic condition is increasingly possible. Genetic screening is defined as a systematic attempt to identify and counsel as many people at genetic risk in a population as possible, whether or not they have a genetic family history
No field of medicine has changed in so dramatic a fashion as has been the case with human genetics. It is only 40 years ago this year that the first human gene was isolated. Back then, identifying a single chemical in the human genome took days. Now it is possible to sequence the three billion chemicals in the genome in a similar time. In this chapter, the basic terminology and principles of genetics are outlined. Some of the major leaps forward in gene technology are also explained, and how these have really opened the window to our understanding of human genetics. It may seem a bit confusing for someone who has not learnt about genetics before, and we have outlined some key terms and rules of genetics
NCDs, or noncommunicable diseases, are a group of diseases connected by their causes — or what doesn’t cause them. They are a group of diseases defined by what they are not. Quite literally, their name means those diseases we cannot catch from another person, and the group include diabetes, heart disease, cancers, lung conditions and mental illnesses