Highlights of this issue

One of our favourite things at the journal is the weekly letters meeting. We read each letter and make notes. We then compile a list and check it twice. Naughty. Nice. This year, we saved a few particularly candid letters to answer in our Holiday Issue.

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T he information superhighway runs right over my head. I am a proud Luddite and still haven't found anything that a good leechin' won't cure! Here's why I am writing … I have been asked to give a presentation on bloodletting. I have a pile of overheads, some felt pens and a bunch of witty anecdotes. Now they tell me I have to use a computer, and can I bring a CD? Are they for real?

Signed,

A Bewildered Amateur, Content Using Slides

[CMAJ responds (see page 1331):]

Sadly, yes, ABACUS, they are for real. These days, everything is done on computer and copied from the “Internet.” Indeed, this response is cut and pasted from a letter in Wired. An observational study in this issue documents a newfangled disease, “audiovisual hyperactivity disorder” or AVHD, and describes its clinical characteristics. Unfortunately, the only treatment is supportive and the prognosis, dismal.

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Golf is my life. Sure, healing people is fun, but nothing beats the thrill of a triple bogey. Well, I suspect a double bogey might. That's my problem. I can't seem to get the hang of it. And I'm a dermatologist! Lord knows I have the time. Any tips?

Signed,

Perplexed, Unable To Trim Scores

[CMAJ responds (see page 1337):]

If one thing has become clear to us over the years, PUTTS, it is this: golf is not a game. Those who claim that it is are in the process of losing. It might interest you to know that your struggle is not a new one. In 1931, Dr. Frank Stableford developed a unique scoring system to level the playing field and, in this issue, 2 foursomes put it to the test. Profanity has been omitted.

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Is there a Santa Claus?

Signed,

Very Interested In Receiving Gifts, In Need of Independent Assurance

[CMAJ responds (see page 1325):]

Yes, VIIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. We have in this issue a study confirming his existence. Evidence thus far has consisted of isolated case reports from 5-year-olds, but a survey of inpatients at a pediatric hospital, slightly south of the North Pole, found 27 of 45 patients were believers. Predictive factors for belief in Santa Claus were derived.

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I am an overworked family doctor in rural Canada. Despite working as fast as I can in my office, making home visits and doing one in three call, I still am unable to see all of my patients. My waiting room is packed to the rafters and people are becoming upset. Even the Reader's Digest won't placate them! What can I do?

Signed,

Overworked, Underpaid, Thinking Of Folding Business and Refusing Even Attempting To Heal

[CMAJ responds:]

Your complaint is becoming too common these days, OUTOFBREATH. Though we often say to ourselves “well, it can't get any worse,” we continue to be proved wrong. So, given that your workload is unlikely to lighten, you must make up ground in efficiency. Here are some tips … On staff at a teaching hospital? Residents are adorable, but often are a lot of work. Learn from experienced parents … we mean staff in “What to expect when you're expecting (residents)” (see page 1345).

Physical exam taking up precious paperwork time? Try the time-tested “doorway physical,” written for psychiatry residents, but containing pearls of wisdom for everyone (see page 1356).

Everyone knows that medicine is easier now that we rely on evidence to guide even our smallest move. And what helps us more than the reams of information on the World Wide Web? Join one of our authors as she realizes the complexity of even the simplest of questions (see page 1347).

So many letters left to go, already out of space. There was the letter home from a doctor on the front lines on D-Day (see page 1384), the diary of a physician succumbing to endocarditis (see page 1379), the experience of the doctor with the urine in his pocket (see page 1363), the pictures from Afghanistan (see page 1371) … and more. Oh well. You will have to find out for yourselves. Read on, and have a lovely holiday.