BMJ  2004;329 (28 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7464.0-f

Editor's choice

Reflecting in the swampy lowlands

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Holidays are a good time for reflection, and it feels like holiday time in the BMJ office: the air is hot and the office quiet and half empty. So it is fitting that this week's BMJ offers a fair amount of quiet reflection.

Some of this reflection is internal. Almost four years ago the BMJ set up its own ethics committee, and on page 510 Elizabeth Wager tells its story. We set up the committee, among other things, to help us with difficult cases. Readers might think that much of what editors do—sit and read papers—is a gentle activity, with few risks other than boredom and a sedentary lifestyle. But papers, and their authors, bring with them a whole host of issues. Should authors have to get the consent of the patients they describe or photograph? (Our answer is yes, though several authors accuse us of pedantry and political correctness.) . . . [Full text of this article]

Jane Smith, deputy editor

(jsmith@bmj.com)


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