The US Public Broadcasting System and Time Magazine take on global health
BMJ 2005; 331 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.331.7525.1149 (Published 10 November 2005) Cite this as: BMJ 2005;331:1149
All rapid responses
Rapid responses are electronic comments to the editor. They enable our users to debate issues raised in articles published on bmj.com. A rapid response is first posted online. If you need the URL (web address) of an individual response, simply click on the response headline and copy the URL from the browser window. A proportion of responses will, after editing, be published online and in the print journal as letters, which are indexed in PubMed. Rapid responses are not indexed in PubMed and they are not journal articles. The BMJ reserves the right to remove responses which are being wilfully misrepresented as published articles or when it is brought to our attention that a response spreads misinformation.
From March 2022, the word limit for rapid responses will be 600 words not including references and author details. We will no longer post responses that exceed this limit.
The word limit for letters selected from posted responses remains 300 words.
While it is certainly true that penicillin was discovered and
reported in the 1920s, it was not until World War II in the 1940s that it
was widely used as an antibiotic. The long delay between discovery and
dissemination would be less likely for new pharmaceuticals in today's
market. Thanks for emphasizing the true discovery date; it is one of the
great historical markers in therapeutics.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests
The spread of misleading information can, indeed, pose a threat to
global health, as Professor Novotny observes. His claim that penicillin
was discovered in the 1940s may not be a health hazard, but still warrants
correction.
In 1928 the Scottish bacteriologist, Alexander Fleming, noticed that
a colony of a common mould, Penicillium notatum, had produced an
antibacterial substance which he named penicillin (1).
(1) Fleming A. On antibacterial action of cultures of a Penicillium,
with special reference to their use in the isolation of B. influenzae. Br
J exper Path 1929;10:226-236.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests
Addressing stereotypes in the search for global health
The stereotypical image of Muslims as fatalistic and resistant to
progress, promoted by the US Public Broadcasting System and Time Magazine
in their campaign to eradicate polio, needs to be challenged. My own
research has shown that these stereotypes arise from poor understanding of
Islam and preconceived ideas about Muslim culture amongst health
practitioners (Mir 2005).
Beliefs about fate are a particular area for misinterpretation
amongst Western health professionals and discussion about treatment may be
discontinued immediately a patient draws on religious beliefs to resist
professional advice. However, those who refer to their belief in fate to
refuse treatment may have other reasons for their refusal - the perception
that insulin treatment signifies transition to a more malignant form of
diabetes may be at the root of resistance to insulin in Muslim patients
with type II diabetes, for example (ibid).
Such patients may be labelled 'fatalistic' even though they have
previously taken regular medication, paid attention to any deterioration
in symptoms and sought advice from health professionals. Further
engagement to discuss the risks involved in refusing treatment does not
take place once this label has been applied, leading to the greater
likelihood of complications and earlier mortality that has been documented
in some Muslim populations(Acheson 1998).
Rather than describing the above dynamics as 'religious resistance'
the campaign would do well to explore the ability of health practitioners
to enage with cultures other than their own and provide support for them
to develop their skills in this area. This would go a long way to
increasing the lay-professional trust that is clearly a problem in all
cultural groups.
Mir G (2005) ‘The Impact of Faith Identity on the health and
healthcare of Pakistani Muslims’ CRONEM conference paper
http://www.surrey.ac.uk/Arts/CRONEM/Conference-2005-
papers/Ghazala%20Mir.doc
Acheson D (Chair) (1998) 'Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in
Health' The Stationery Office
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests