Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Editorial

What causes chronic fatigue syndrome?

BMJ 2004; 329 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.329.7472.928 (Published 21 October 2004) Cite this as: BMJ 2004;329:928

Rapid Response:

Re: What causes chronic fatigue syndrome?

Collings and Newton (1) resurrect a ten year old editorial (2) to present an essay on the potential for viewing CFS as a 'meme-mediated' syndrome.

In the Preface to her 1999 book 'The Meme Machine' (3) Susan Blackmore writes that most of the ideas in her book were conceived whilst bedbound for many months with a chronic, debilitating, post-viral illness.

Forced to give up work, unable to walk, unable to talk for more than a few minutes, unable to use a computer. But she could read and she could think, and as time went on, make notes. It would be two years or so before Ms Blackmore was well enough to consider working again and to develop her ideas into the book.

Ms Blackmore seems uniquely positioned to contribute to this discussion.

1 Collings AD, Newton D. Re: What causes chronic fatigue syndrome? BMJ 2014 (18 June).

2 White PD. What causes chronic fatigue syndrome? BMJ 2004; 329: 928-929 (21 October).

3 Blackmore, Susan (1999), The Meme Machine, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-850365-2.

Competing interests: No competing interests

23 June 2014
Suzy Chapman
Carer
n/a
Dorset BH16 6BG