A teenager with a cough, fever, and poor appetite
BMJ 2012; 344 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e2821 (Published 26 April 2012) Cite this as: BMJ 2012;344:e2821
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This was a fascinating case study, really well written up and informative, except for one thing. Could we say 'the patient had no clubbing' rather than 'the patient was not clubbed'? This would align with the general trend in medical writing to avoid describing patients as (for example) 'an epileptic' rather than 'a person with epilepsy' and so on.
Perhaps BMJ's technical editors could keep a look out for such nuances and advise authors accordingly?
Competing interests: No competing interests
Much as I respect the world-wise and feet-on-the ground relevance of most everything Trisha writes, she seems to be making a very narrow point here as to the politico-medically correct 'was not clubbed' as opposed to 'had no clubbing'.
Uncharacteristically she misses the wider world ambiguities - A teenager who 'had no clubbing' must be rare indeed. Thankfully perhaps, in these mean streets, because he 'was not clubbed', (yet).
Competing interests: No competing interests
Re: A teenager with a cough, fever, and poor appetite
Sorry, I disagree. Was it the teenager who was [not] clubbed or her nails? If serious about shifting the culture of medicine, we need to rise above subtle and unintentional conflation of the person with the disease.
BMJ, let's vote.
Competing interests: No competing interests