The three paradoxes of private medicine: The golden dustman cometh

doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7471.919-b

BMJ 2004;329:919 (16 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7471.919-b

Letter

The three paradoxes of private medicine

The golden dustman cometh

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

EDITOR—When I was a lad, a visit to the general practitionercost a guinea (Australian), the radio plays came from the BBC(using Australian actors assuming British accents), Englandwas still Home, at least to the older generation, and my readingwas all W E Johns and Frank Richards. During my studies, Davidson,Hutchinson, and Hamilton Bailey painted a world view of medicine(admittedly somewhat Dickensian), which I absorbed and whichleft me feeling that, somehow, I understood the British way.

I thought I knew a bit about the NHS too, but when I read Longley'slament over receiving some politeness and prompt treatment,I realised that I knew nothing.¹ I was looking into the Heartof Whatness. This is the great British inscrutability. Theyare Frenchmen with whom we just happen to share a common language.

How, I wondered, can one put into words what the NHS . . . [Full text of this article]

James F R Love, consultant physician

217 Wickham Terrace, Brisbane, Qld 4000, Australia jim.love@craigston.com.au