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Rapid Responses: Rapid Responses published:
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Great news for the BMJ and the BMJ Publishing Group
- Richard Smith (11 February 2005)
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Hearty Congratulations To Dr Fiona Godlee : The New Substantive BMJ Editor
- Joseph . C . Obi (11 February 2005)
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A request for more variety in the coverage of ME/CFS in the BMJ in the future
- Tom Kindlon (11 February 2005)
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A request for open discussion about the value and safety of vaccine products
- John Stone (12 February 2005)
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Go Kamran
- Paul Duff (12 February 2005)
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Re: Great news for the BMJ and the BMJ Publishing Group
- Angela Flack (12 February 2005)
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NEW ACHIEVEMENT FOR BRITISH MEDICAL LITERATURE
- MICHAEL FRIEDMAN, MD, MHA (12 February 2005)
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New Editor's credentials
- Anibal J. Morillo, Bogota, Colombia (13 February 2005)
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Carry on Editing
- Ashok Beckaya (14 February 2005)
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congratulations
- Genevieve Uchida-Ernouf (14 February 2005)
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Time for a change at the BMJ?
- James S Halpern (17 February 2005)
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A request for the publication of biomedical research into M.E/CFS
- Ruth Nolan (17 February 2005)
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Re: Time for a change at the BMJ?
- susanne mccabe (18 February 2005)
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A Request for the publication of biomedical research into M.E/CFS - correction
- Ruth Nolan (18 February 2005)
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Richard Smith, Chief executive UnitedHealth Europe, London SW1P 1SB
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I’m delighted that Fiona Godlee has been appointed as editor of the BMJ and Stella Dutton as chief executive of the BMJ Publishing Group. As a voice from the past (not quite beyond the grave), I have complete confidence in the ability of Fiona and Stella to move the journal and group forward. I’ve known Fiona since she was appointed as an editorial registrar in 1989, and she already has many remarkable achievements to her name. She is the person who created Clinical Evidence, which is now available to hundreds of thousands of doctors across the globe in many languages. Fiona has also been president of the World Association of Medical Editors, chair of the Committee on Publication Ethics, and co-editor of the most important book on peer review. Plus she’s warm and fun. Stella and I worked together for 10 years at the BMJ Publishing Group and much of what was achieved was down to her. Anybody who has looked at the profits of the group will know that they began to grow dramatically once Stella arrived. She’s much loved by the staff, and her achievements have been internationally recognised through her central role in the organisation of scientific, technical, and medical publishers. I want as well to pay tribute to Kamran Abbasi, who has done a wonderful job as acting editor since I left. Everybody I speak to says that the journal is better. Richard Smith Competing interests: I was the editor of the BMJ and the chief executive of the BMJ Publishing Group |
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Joseph . C . Obi, Provost and Emeritus Chair of Nutritional Immunomodulation RCAM (Royal College of Alternative Medicine) www.RoyalCAM.org
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On behalf of RCAM (Royal College of Alternative Medicine), may I warmly wish Dr Fiona Godlee an Exceedingly Wonderful Time at the Editorial Helm of the British Medical Journal (BMJ). RCAM sincerely hopes that Dr Godlee will (at least) honestly try to be her very own person ; not simply an Elegant Literary Mouthpiece for the Medical Top Brass. Good Luck , Fiona : RCAM is seriously praying for you. Competing interests: Professor Joseph Chikelue Obi FRCAM (Dublin) FRIPH (UK) FACAM (USA) also supervises an Interdisciplinary Revalidation Initiative (IRI) for Seasoned Practitioners in Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Please kindly visit www.RoyalCAM.org for more details |
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Tom Kindlon, Unavailable for work due to ill health Dublin, Rep. of Ireland
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I would like to wish Dr. Godlee well in her new post. It is certainly a very responsible position as, by choosing which papers to publish and which not to publish, the BMJ can influence the views of a large number of people on a particular issue or condition. In particular, the choice of people to (i) write editorials and (ii) the choice of article for which press releases are sent out can affect the attitudes of both the readers of the BMJ and indeed the wider public on a particular matter. The condition I'm particular interested in is ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Below is a breakdown of the search results of the BMJ site for "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome", which is classified by the World Health Organisation as a neurological illness and usually starts following a viral illness, with patients being left with various immunological, neurological, cardiological and endocrinological symptoms. It does not seem to me to be representative of the research that is taking place both internationally in the area: Cognitive behaviour therapy (40) Generally, the vast majority of articles in the BMJ on CFS appear to be either written by psychiatrists or those who hold similar views to the psychiatrists on CFS. Here are the editorials in the BMJ on chronic fatigue syndrome since the start of 1994 (that's how far online searches go back) EDITORIALS: S M Lawrie (psychiatrist) and A J Pelosi (psychiatrist) Chronic fatigue syndrome: prevalence and outcome BMJ, Mar 1994; 308: 732 - 733. EDITORIALS: Stephen E Straus (appears to have similar views to the psychiatrists about CFS) Chronic fatigue syndrome BMJ, Oct 1996; 313: 831 - 832. EDITORIALS: Harvey Marcovitch (Consultant paediatrician who appears to have similar views to the psychiatrists about CFS) Managing chronic fatigue syndrome in children BMJ, Jun 1997; 314: 1635. EDITORIALS: Michael Sharpe (psychiatrist) and Simon Wessely (psychiatrist) Putting the rest cure to rest again BMJ, Mar 1998; 316: 796 - 800. EDITORIALS: Stephen E Straus (see above) Caring for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome BMJ, Jan 2002; 324: 124 - 125. EDITORIALS: Peter D White (psychiatrist) What causes chronic fatigue syndrome? BMJ, Oct 2004; 329: 928 - 929. Breakdown of those who wrote editorials: 5 psychiatrists with 2 others expressing views which would be inline with the psychiatrists' views of CFS. Classification by the World Health Organisation of ME and CFS: neurological! (ICD-10; G93;3). There has recently been a major conference on CFS in the US. Various researchers presented all sorts of interesting studies, many of which would appear not be compatible with the views expressed in the latest editorial by White or indeed with the other editorials mentioned above. A summary of this conference can be found at: http://www.wicfs- me.org/Pdf%20Files/AACFS%202004%20Report.pdf More detailed information can be bought from the AACFS (American Association for CFS) website www.aacfs.org . The AACFS is an organisation for clinicians, research investigators and healthcare providers rather than a patient organisation. Unfortunately because of the shortage of funds to do research in the area, many of these studies never get replicated. I hope Dr. Godlee will reflect on these statistics and the readers of the BMJ will be reading a wider variety of views on and research into CFS in the future. Competing interests: None declared |
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John Stone, none London N22
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I take my cue from Tom Kindlon. I would also like to wish Fiona Godlee well in her new post, and I would in turn to suggest that it is essential that the issue of the safety and value vaccine products is opened up to professional and public discussion, as with other medicines. Reporting has latterly become completely one sided and discussion is now virtually taboo outside Rapid Responses. This in itself prejudices the safety of these products and their use. In this regard I would particularly like cite yesterday's Rapid Response from F Edward Yazbak 'The Infant Mortality Rate: An Index of a Nation's Health' [1] which highlights the fact that the US has the most vaccinated infant population on earth, but also a poor record on infant mortality. [1] http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/330/7483/112-d#96306 Competing interests: Parent of an autistic child |
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Paul Duff, GP Vic Australia 3741
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How demeaning to the rights of women and the fire of feminism, that your press release trumpets the sex of the successful candidate! Doesn't one get appointed on merit? Was Abbasi pipped at the post by the better journalist or am I to believe that rampant political correctness is alive and well at BMJ publishing?
Competing interests: None declared |
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Angela Flack, Early retired as a result of M.E. n/a
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This is indeed a welcome change to the BMJ Group! Dr Godlee l welcome you to the coalface of medicne, Patients with M.E. their families, and friends, have been excluded, from learning all they can about their illness, or the basis, for "Scientific Research" results for too long! The erasure of M.E. WHO ICD 10 93.3 (neurological classifiction since 1969) from all medical publications,and being replaced by Chronic Fatigue or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has harmed many people and the enormous cloud of conflicting interests, grows daily. M.E.is not Chronic Fatigue, Chronic Fatigue is not M.E. We are not just, deconditioned or idle, we are ill, ME chose us! denying the truth, accidentally or deliberatly? has resulted in PWME being denied, even the most basic medical care, resulting in many deaths, heartbreakingly 20% of these young people, who`s lives have been devastated, not only, by the illness, denial of state benefits, but agressive and hostile denial of the true nature, of this neurological illness. I do hope that we can work, with you, for the benefit of all PWME focusing on transparency, and truth, rebuilding of the trust we had, in the medical profession, and the special relationship that should exist, between GP and patient. Please help us eradicate, secrecy, denial, and bias, as you have done in other areas of medicne A very warm heartfelt welcome to you! Angela Flack MEAssociation.org.uk Competing interests: MEA Director/Trustee |
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MICHAEL FRIEDMAN, MD, MHA, Director, Women's Health Institution, Maccabi Healthcare Services, Haifa, Israel 10 Marconi Str., Check Post, Haifa, Israel
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After 165 years since the first issue of BMJ was published and after many dozens of years since feministic movement considerably destructed machoism in all spheres of life at least in the Western World, and since the weak sex has repeatedly proved that woman can more than successfuly play the most important roles and functions in our life, from being Primer Minister to astronaut and soldier or general in the army, finaly we can see the new female achievement: BMJ appoints its first woman editor! I feel that the right tile for the article of Caroline White in BMJ should be :"How come that only now, in 21 century, BMJ appointed its first woman editor?!" We all could be proud and happy if such social uprising and cataclysm took place not in London, but in other dark places of our planet. Distinguished Dr. Fiona Godlee, I congratulate you with such a prestige appointment and wish you all success. Dr. Michael Friedman Haifa, Israel Competing interests: None declared |
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Anibal J. Morillo, Radiologist Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Fundacion Santa Fe de Bogota, Bogota, Colombia
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Congratulations for the new appointed Editor of the BMJ. Upon reviewing the brief description of Dr. Godlee’s credentials, three of them come to my attention, and suggest to me a guarantee of success on her new job: 1. Her former presidency of the World Association of Medical Editors. 2. Her chairing of the Publication Ethics Committee. 3. The fact that she is a carpenter. It should take all of the same craftswomanship needed for her carpentry to maintain the quality standards of this excellent Journal. Not withstanding the gender issues related to her appointment, we should not be surprised to find out that this kind of skills and antecedents turn out to be part of the job description for future BMJ editors. Competing interests: Frequent BMJ reader and quoter. |
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Ashok Beckaya, SAS Paediatrician Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, Epsom, KT18 7EG
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Welcome and "Hearty Congratualations" to the first ever woman editor of the BMJ, Dr Fiona Godlee. I have no doubt that Dr Godlee will be immensely successful in her new role and sincerely hope BMJ will prosper to even greater heights under her able leadership. I would like to see more children's issues being included in the future. Last but not the least "congratulations" to Mrs Stella Dutton on her appointment as the chief executive officer of the BMJ Publishing Group. I wish the two distinguished ladies the very best for the future and happy teamworking. Competing interests: None declared |
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Genevieve Uchida-Ernouf, inspector of pharmacy minstere de la sante, 75007 Paris FRANCE
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Congratulations to these two famous ladies. And to the BMJ for such an excellent choice. BUT, not for the title relating the good news : when will the scientific community forget about sex..and congratulates the new editor because (s)he is a great person/scientist and so on. Yes, the real equality of treatment is still far ahead but it's on the way and BMJ is widening the road . Competing interests: None declared |
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James S Halpern, Medical SHO City Hospital, Birmingham, B18 7QH
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I would like to ask the BMJ’s new editor Fiona Godlee to spend some time considering how the BMJ has changed over the last five years, and what direction it will take in the future. I am one of a number of junior doctors who has become increasingly disillusioned with both the sensationalism and ‘dumbing down’ of this once great medical journal. Where once the BMJ provided a staple diet of relevant, high quality research for physicians of every speciality. It now concentrates on publicity generating articles that are of little relevance to the ‘average’ reader. The choice of editorial and cover articles seems solely based on what is most likely to generate the most column inches in the lay media. The recent 12/2/05 issue is a good example of where the BMJ is loosing its priorities(1). In this issue a paper on the effectiveness of speed cameras was given priority on the front cover and primacy of place in the journal(2). This article, which was widely publicised in the media, is of little or no educational value to the vast majority of the BMJ’s readers. Yet in the same issue a paper was published that casts doubt on the benefits of pelvic floor exercises in urinary and faecal incontinence(3), a paper hidden at the back of the journal with no editorial comment, yet also a paper that may change the practice of GP’s and gynaecologists throughout the country. At medical school I was taught about the ‘big 3’ journals, journals of the highest quality and most relevant research. Since leaving medical school I have attended many grand rounds and journal clubs, and heard analysis on many papers from two of these three journals, it is very sad that I cannot remember the last time someone presented a paper from the BMJ. The BMJ is at a crossroads; Dr Godlee must decide is it going to stay as “The general medical journal”? Or is it going to further slide down the path to being a current affairs magazine for the medical profession? 1 BMJ 2005, 7487: 12/2/05 2 Pilkington P, Kinra S “Effectivness of speed cameras in preventing road traffic collisions and related casualties: systematic review” BMJ 2005; 7847: 331-333 3 Glazener C, Herbison G, Macarthur C, Grant A, Wilson P “Randomised controlled trial of conservative management of postnatal urinary and faecal incontinence: six year follow up” BMJ 2005; 7847: 337-339 Competing interests: None declared |
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Ruth Nolan, Unable to work due to ill haelth N/A
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I like everyone else would like to offer my congratulations to both Fiona Godlee and Stella Dutton on their respective appointments and wish them well. I would however like to draw a particular issue to Ms Godlee’s attention as she begins her tenure of this most challenging and influential of positions. It concerns the extremely biased publishing decisions taken by the BMJ heretofore with regard to research into M.E/CFS. It has consistently published studies carried out by psychiatrists purporting to study M.E, however a number of these studies are based on the Oxford criteria, which in reality means that fatigue was studied rather than the neurological illness M.E. Results from such trials containing a heterogeneous group have, I feel, contributed substantially to the misconceptions about the illness among the medical profession and in deed the general public. In addition to this, the previous editor has chosen to ignore the increasing body of biomedical evidence, which although has not so far unravelled the complete physiology of the illness, has consistently corroborated the theory that there is a biological cause. The BMJ has been seen as a prestigious unbiased publication and the journal of choice for many medical professionals, however the editorial line to date has not only tarnished this reputation, but has done a great disservice to doctors. Doctors deserve, and for the sake of their patients need, to know all the available information. I would hope that Ms Godlee would pursue a fair unbiased approach to publishing research about this illness. Competing interests: None declared |
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susanne mccabe, retired cf 24 3pf
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Thanks very much to Richard Smith (previous Editor)and his team for taking the pomp out of pomposity and for being in the forefront of responding to and at times leading changes to the culture of learning, debating and provision of healthcare. Notably, amongst other achievements, the BMJ has recognised that many voices are needed to contribute to the expansion of knowledge and that novel ways of listening and reporting will inevitably take place over time. Bon voyage to those now steering the ship in both old and new waters. Competing interests: None declared |
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Ruth Nolan, Unable to work due to ill health Ireland
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In my submission requesting the publication of biomedical research into M.E/CFS, I inadvertently referred to Dr Godlee as Ms Godlee. I would like to offer my sincerest apologies to Dr Godlee for this error. Competing interests: None declared |
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