Minerva

Dignity in Dying is the new name for the Voluntary Euthanasia Society, which was set up by doctors and clergy in 1935. The society campaigns for greater patient choice at the end of life, a statutory backing to “living wills,” and a change in the law so that a terminally ill, competent adult who is suffering can ask for medical assistance to die. A new name was called for in recognition of the wider breadth of work now done by the society.

A British company has launched a national will register. The register records the location of a person's latest will, and it's hoped will help dispel the confusion caused by lost wills and the family wrangles that often follow. The register also helps prevent outdated wills being used maliciously, and maintains a copy of each will in case the original is destroyed by fire or flood. People can register online for a small fee at http://www.willdata.info/ (Pharos International 2005;71: 20).

Men and women who use marijuana often change their habit when they get married. The interesting thing is that wives seem to influence their husbands more often than the other way around: husbands are more likely to start using marijuana if their wives use it, but wives are not more …