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EDITORIALS: Margaret Cooter Putting on the style BMJ 1999; 319: 1592 [Full text]

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Hippy Hangover?

Peter Brooks   (21 December 1999)

Re: Hippy Hangover?

Adam Jacobs   (22 December 1999)

Hippy Hangover? 21 December 1999
Peter Brooks Send response to journal: Re: Hippy Hangover?	I was interested in your article on the BMJ house style. I have wondered about the confusion over the 'oe' spelling rules. I notice that a letter in 1997;315 by Jeff Aronson discusses the spelling of foetus as 'fetus' and points out that in 1969 the BMJ decided on this American spelling. Would the start of the millenium in 2001 be a good time to drop the '60s hangover of using simplified US spelling and return to English spelling? Peter Brooks
Re: Hippy Hangover? 22 December 1999
Adam Jacobs, Director Dianthus Medical Limited Send response to journal: Re: Re: Hippy Hangover?	The BMJ is in good company in using the spelling fetus. Chamber's English Dictionary defines foetus as 'the usual but etymologically unsatisfactory form of fetus', and the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary notes that 'the better form with e is rare except in US'. To have the support of two such reputable British dictionaries surely makes fetus a perfectly valid British spelling.