Paying tribute to Ireland's doctors

In the past two centuries Ireland's doctors, especially in Ulster, have faced unique challenges over those of normal practicethe famine of the 19th century and the "troubles" of the 20th century. In 1847, according to Froggatt (p 1636), 4% of all physicians, surgeons, and apothecaries in Ireland died of fever associated with the famine. No doctors have died at work during the troubles, but Froggatt describes the psychological effects of treating injuries from violenceinjuries that led to a Belfast surgeon accumulating a series of cases of gun injuries to the brain surpassed only in Chicago. On p 1609 Firth-Cozens et al show that a quarter of the doctors who treated victims of the Omagh bombing had scores diagnostic of post-traumatic stress disorder on a well validated questionnaire. Only half of them had sought help. And on p 1648 Stewart gives a personal view of providing paediatric services on the "peace line" in Belfast.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Articles

Questionnaire survey of post-traumatic stress disorder in doctors involved in the Omagh bombing

Jenny Firth-Cozens, Simon J Midgley, and Clive Burges
BMJ 1999 319: 1609. [Full Text] [PDF]

Medicine in Ulster in relation to the great famine and "the troubles"

Peter Froggatt
BMJ 1999 319: 1636-1639. [Full Text] [PDF]

Paediatrics on the peace line

Moira Stewart
BMJ 1999 319: 1648. [Full Text] [PDF]