Rapid Responses to:

EDITORIALS: Debbie A Lawlor and Jonathan A C Sterne Socioeconomic inequalities in health BMJ 2007; 334: 963-964 [Full text]

Rapid Responses: Submit a response to this article

Rapid Responses published:

confusing title

Chic Pillai   (12 May 2007)

Confusing? Or euphemistic?

Anthony E J Fitchett   (13 May 2007)

confusing title 12 May 2007
Chic Pillai, GP Plains View Surgery, Mapperley, Nottingham NG3 5LB Send response to journal: Re: confusing title	May I suggest that the title "Socioeconomic inequalities in health - Are important but the effects of age and sex may be overlooked" would have read better if the word sex was replaced with gender. Competing interests: None declared
Confusing? Or euphemistic? 13 May 2007
Anthony E J Fitchett, General Practitioner Mornington Health Centre, 169 Eglinton Rd, Dunedin, New Zealand Send response to journal: Re: Confusing? Or euphemistic?	Or [pace Dr Pillai] would such a change merely be euphemistic, as the Oxford English Dictionary (1), which originally allowed such usage to be only jocular (2), now describes such use of a word whose proper use relates to the grammatical sex [male, female or neuter] of words, not people? Are not short, clear words better than euphemisms? References: 1. The Oxford English Dictionary (Second Edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1989. 2. Burchfield, RW, The New Fowler's Modern English Usage (revised third edition). Oxford University Press, Oxford 1998 Competing interests: None declared