WEMJ Volume 118 No. 1 May 2019
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2019's first issue with new editor Prof David Cahill; articles on the Lithotrite, the Changing Face of Medical Education in Bristol, and coming papers on the MRI.
WEMJ Volume 118 No. 1 May 2019 Article 1 - Frederick O'Dell: John Eldertons Lithotrite Device of 1817
2019 marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of the plans of Elderton’s lithotrite device. Elderton’s invention was earlier than those of the major participants in the history of the lithotrite by at least five years, however he remains largely unknown. This paper seeks to rectify this.
The early history of the lithotrite is confused and depends on which account is cited; the most popular is that of Civiale. Many commentators omit Elderton’s contribution to the debate on the early use of the lithotrite. History records that the first use of a lithotrite was performed by French surgeon Jean Civiale (1798-1867) at the Nekkar Hospital in 1824. John Elderton of Northampton General Infirmary invented a lithotrite in 1817, seven years earlier than the French demonstration. Elderton published his ‘Description of an Instrument for destroying Urinary Calculi within the Bladder’, including his drawing plans for the device, in April 1819.
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WEMJ Volume 118 No. 1 May 2019 Article 2 - The changing face of education
Graduates of the University of Bristol’s Medical School have high rates of acceptance for their first place in foundation year posts. National Student Survey data are published as harder scores which can be easily compared – in 2017, Bristol’s overall satisfaction with the programme was 95%. The average satisfaction rate for all UK medical schools is 87.5%, and the score of 95% meant that Bristol was ranked in 7th place in the UK. The scores for Assessment and Feedback was 71%, compared to the UK average of 64%. In 2007, Bristol’s score for assessment and feedback was 20%, in 2010 it was 24% and in 2016 it was 55%. Other survey domains were also better that the UK average for medical schools: these are The Teaching on My Course, Organisation and Management, Learning Opportunities, Academic Support, Learning Outcomes and Student Voice. These external measures of performance would support the view that the quality of education and student experience has improved significantly. Somewhat more historical data from the various Royal Colleges show that Bristol graduate performance at Part I examinations of the Colleges’ professional examinations show well above average amongst UK medical schools.
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WEMJ Volume 118 No. 1 May 2019 - Book reviews
Piers Gooding: A New Era for Mental Health Law and Policy. Supported Decision-Making and the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities reviewed by Peter Carpenter
Cambridge University Press 2017 price £69.99 hardback; £22.99 Paperback
This is a book aimed at researcher and policy makers. A clinician will not find it a useful resource for thinking how to make their practice with a particular patient compliant with the Convention.