NHS Jewish BRCA
For those who were unable to attend, and for those who want to refresh and check the information, the recording of the session is now on the Jewish Medical Association UK website and can be accessed here.
Octogenerian Hostages
Hamas treatment of older hostages has been described as “a severe example of elder abuse”. In a new article Profs Mark Clarfield (Ben Gurion) and Hagai Levin document what happened to t three elderly men who were taken hostage on October 7th 2023. They describe the extreme “pre-morbid” vulnerability of these hostages and provide information about their clinical situation and about the extreme stresses to which they were subjected. Their article can be accessed here.
Mortality statistics in Gaza
In July 2024 Khatib et al published in the Lancet that mortality statistics in Gaza are seriously underestimated. Including indirect mortality and using modelling approaches they put forward a figure of 178,000. It took four months for the Lancet to publish comment and rebuttal. Finally three letters appeared on 6th November 2024: from Profs Beyar and Skorecki (Israel), from Dr Oratz and colleagues (USA) and from Andrew Gilbert (Vice President, Board of Deputies UK). All three of these letters note the fallacies of the methodology and extrapolations, deplore how its findings are already being cited widely. The letters can be accessed here.
Antisemitism in Medicine
Since October 7th 2023 serious manifestations of antisemitism in medicine have emerged in many countries, including the UK. Documenting this worldwide, and preparing robust responses, is essential.
Two important articles have been published recently on this theme. In the American Journal of Medicine Wald and Roth argue that there is a moral imperative on doctors to counter antisemitism, and propose ways to do this. Their article can be accessed here. In addition, they have also published about episodes where “commencements” have been exploited for antisemitic purpose.
Schwartz et al took a different approach, monitoring social media and surveying doctors, and undertaking a quantitative approach. This important and disturbing article highlights, simply but clearly, the way that since October 7th antisemitism has emerged and permeated widely – and internationally – within medicine.