BMJ  2005;331:E370 (13 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7513.E370

BMJ USA: Editor's choice

Terrorism in familiar places

One of the more pleasant aspects of my job as BMJ USA's editor is traveling to London regularly to work with my BMJ colleagues. BMJ Publishing Group offices are located in an imposing neoclassical building in a leafy part of Bloomsbury opposite Tavistock Square that has served as the headquarters of the British Medical Association since 1925. As the world now knows, one of the July 7 terrorist bombs exploded just outside BMA House in a double-decker bus, spattering blood and body parts over the walls and gates of the building.

On hearing of the location of the explosion that morning, we North American staff were immediately concerned for the safety of our friends and colleagues in BMA House. Quick e-mails and phone calls reassured us that it seemed no one inside the building had been injured. But outside was another matter, as doctors on staff and visiting BMA members were pressed into action to triage and treat the wounded and dead in the BMA House courtyard. Thirteen people died in that explosion. In this issue, we reprint accounts from BMJ Careers editor Graham Easton (p 370), on his actions and feelings at BMA House, and from cardiology fellow Alexander Chen, who cared for the injured at University College London Hospital.

But acute care was only the beginning of the story. After the explosion, BMA House was evacuated. Very limited access to the crime scene—including the street and the building—was allowed over the next week as police gathered evidence. Because all of the editorial work for the weekly BMJ is performed in the building, the production of the next week's issue was in jeopardy. In an impressive display of planning, teamwork, and ingenuity, the staff worked through the weekend and into the next week from home and alternate locations. Due to their efforts, the July 16 BMJ appeared on time, in paper and on the Web.

Perhaps most impressive, however, was the content of the issue. It included not only multiple first-person accounts of the bombing and its aftermath but also a commissioned editorial by Eddie Chaloner (p 323) on the medical effects of explosions in confined spaces. Thus, the BMJ maintained its traditions of commenting on public issues of relevance to health and health care and providing evidence-based guidance and educational materials. It also contained the usual assortment of thought-provoking and useful papers not at all related to the horrific event that happened just a week before on the front doorstep.

Bravo.

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terrorism is becoming a global issue

Dr.Omar K. Hamoudi
bmj.com, 12 Aug 2005 [Full text]