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.
This Scottish "first" is misconceived.
1.
The person seeking to register the death may not know the "ethnicity" (whatever it means) of the dead man.
2.
Take the case of a Westminister minister who is 1/8 Japanese and reportedly, 1/8 Irish. Should the Registrar General in Scotland record him as Scots, mixed Scots - Japanese-Irish? Some of the readers may be aware that the "Irish" also include descendents of some Spaniards of the Armada. Some of the readers may also be aware that perhaps about ten per cent of the Japanese population has been considered to be of "Caucasian" origin and has mixed, genetically, only partially with the "Mongoloid" majority. Will the Scottish Registrar General ignore the genetic reality of the Japanese in Scotland?
3. The system is voluntary. It means that the data of the population under study will be very incomplete.
Re: Scotland introduces record of ethnicity on death certificates
This Scottish "first" is misconceived.
1.
The person seeking to register the death may not know the "ethnicity" (whatever it means) of the dead man.
2.
Take the case of a Westminister minister who is 1/8 Japanese and reportedly, 1/8 Irish. Should the Registrar General in Scotland record him as Scots, mixed Scots - Japanese-Irish? Some of the readers may be aware that the "Irish" also include descendents of some Spaniards of the Armada. Some of the readers may also be aware that perhaps about ten per cent of the Japanese population has been considered to be of "Caucasian" origin and has mixed, genetically, only partially with the "Mongoloid" majority. Will the Scottish Registrar General ignore the genetic reality of the Japanese in Scotland?
3. The system is voluntary. It means that the data of the population under study will be very incomplete.
JK Anand
Competing interests: No competing interests