Importance of the lay press in the transmission of medical knowledge to the scientific community

Article Abstract:

This study addressed the issue of the relevance of exposure of scientific information in the mass media for the scientific community. The authors were interested in whether medical knowledge presented in The New York Times was more likely to be cited (mentioned as a source of information in other published articles) by scientists than knowledge that was not published in that newspaper. Citations during a 10-year period, 1979 to 1989, were examined. The research of interest had been originally published in The New England Journal of Medicine during 1979: this journal was selected because The Times devoted more attention to it than to any other scientific publication. Journal articles were either study articles (25), which received publicity in the Times, or control articles (33), which appeared in the same Journal issue as study articles but were not publicized. The occurrence of a 12-week strike at the Times in 1978, when a very limited version of the paper was published, allowed the investigators to assess the magnitude of the effects of publication. Results showed that Journal articles publicized by the Times were cited in each of the 10 years after their publication more often than control articles. In the first year after publication in The New England Journal of Medicine, articles discussed in the Times were cited almost 73 percent more often than articles not discussed. Such a difference was not seen during the weeks of the strike, after which study and control articles received approximately the same number of scientific citations. In fact, research articles that were discussed in the paper's limited edition received slightly fewer citations than control articles in 6 of the 10 years studied. The results during the strike indicate that citation is not simply the result of an article's being ''good''. Articles earmarked at that time for publication in the paper, but unread because of the strike, did not become widely cited. The findings show that The New York Times enhances the impact of medical information on the biomedical community. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Publishing industry, Evaluation, Reports, Medical publishing, Press, Journalism, Medical, Medical journalism, Medical writing

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A new medical mission to El Salvador

Article Abstract:

A special mission to investigate current medical conditions in El Salvador was sent by the Physicians for Human Rights. The group included five physicians, one lawyer and a representative from the Select Committee on Hunger of the United States House of Representatives. The specific charge of the group was to investigate specific allegations of violations of human rights and interference with the neutrality of medicine in this war-torn country. The civil war in El Salvador has caused nearly 70,000 deaths, destroyed much of the economic bases of the economy, and produced hundreds of thousands of refugees. The medical conditions of the country were found to be devastated, and medical education, although continuing, is under such hardship as to be viewed as nearly nonfunctional. Recently, the level of atrocities and violations of rights has been increased by both the government and the guerrillas. The transport of medical materials and the ability of medical personnel with required documentation to move freely throughout the country has been severely curtailed by the government, but not by the insurgents. Vivid descriptions of atrocities and violations of civilian rights are described which are attributed largely to the government's actions, while the guerrillas have concentrated on political attacks which often include the murder of government officials. With regard to the providing medical care, the government apparently frustrates efforts to do so in the belief that the civilians are often sympathetic toward the insurgent cause and that medical materials will be carried to the guerrillas. The Geneva Convention allows medical care to be rendered regardless of who benefits from such help. All indications are, given the current atmosphere and the restrictions on the practice of medicine and the impossibility of medical education, that the level of medical care in El Salvador will continue to decline.

Medical care, Human rights, Medical education, El Salvador

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Medical problems associated with underwater diving

Article Abstract:

Diving subjects humans to rapidly changing pressures, which can lead to barotrauma, nitrogen narcosis and decompression sickness. Barotrauma results when pressure in the lungs, middle ear or the sinuses cannot be adjusted quickly enough to balance the external pressure. The most serious is pulmonary barotrauma during ascent, when expanding air in the lungs can rupture them. Increased nitrogen in the nervous system can cause nitrogen narcosis, which includes symptoms similar to alcohol intoxication. When the diver ascends, the nitrogen is released by the tissues as free gas, which can block arteries and rupture or compress tissues. The presence of gas bubbles in blood can also activate the clotting process. Individuals applying for diving lessons should be screened for any medical conditions that may predispose them to the adverse effects of diving.

Diving (Underwater), Diving

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