Monthly Archives: September 2015

This isn’t really ‘part 2’ – I just felt the need to write more about part 1; When thinking of birds in trees, particularly, for some reason, during the autumn, or perhaps even the winter, I think back to my literature lessons in school. The poet, Chaim Nachman Bialik, one of the pioneers of modernContinue reading “MBTI, Starsky & Hutch and the world is my idea (part 2)”

Schopenhauer said, ‘The world is my idea’ – as to what he meant by this I am not altogether certain. I think he was getting at something to do with perception, the world is how I see it, just as yours is as you see it. Most of the time, people seem to be ableContinue reading “MBTI, Starsky & Hutch and the world is my idea (part 1)”

Scipio was a Roman general who amongst other achievements defeated Hannibal at the battle of Zama. I have shown the painting by Karel van Mander to medical students over the years to explain the meaning of ‘continence’ – it is one of those things that I know I shouldn’t have done – the connection isContinue reading “The Continence of Scipio”

Recently, looking into the benefits of Mindfulness to support staff working on my ward, I became aware of the importance of the Amygdala. The Amygdala is part of our ‘primitive brain’, sometimes called the lizard brain as phylogenetically it is part of us that has been present throughout our evolution; it is responsible for controllingContinue reading “Why Almonds?”

It is easy to forget how much medicalese and jargon exists within the world of health and social care. As to what stops us speaking English, either to each other or more relevantly to patients, clients and carers, I am not sure – I suspect that most of the time we aren’t aware we areContinue reading “Asymptomatic bacteruria and Bear Grylls”

So… here I am, planning a presentation to the hospital tomorrow on dementia; I have added ‘delirium’ to the title as for me the two conditions are synonymous – people living with dementia have a ten-fold greater risk of experiencing delirium than others… Where to I begin? I start with Wendy Mitchell – she hasContinue reading “Is my husband OK?”

When you search ‘delirium’ on Google images you find lots of pictures to do with delirium tremens – the clinical syndrome associated with alcohol withdrawal; while this is delirium in one sense, it is not the one I am discussing – The usual textbook definition for delirium is a fluctuating state of consciousness developing overContinue reading “So, what is delirium?”