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> Dear Badri, > Greetings from frozen Rhode Island, USA. > I agree totally with your sentiment. Note that this is only the latest of now a growing sorry series of reported episodes of suppression of research, suppression of discussion of research, suppression of discussion of quality of health, and in general, suppression of academic freedom and free expression in a medical context. > I discussed a few such cases in my article. (Poses RM. A cautionary tale: The dysfunction of American health care. Eur J Int Med 2003; 14: 123-130. Electronic copy available on request.) I know of many more. And presumably, there may be a whole lot more cases of succesful suppression of free expression that have never seen the light of day than there are published cases of attempted, but failed suppression. > I applaud you for bringing this up. > I do think that physicians, and health care and medical researchers need to launch an effort to expose these cases, discredit those attempting or achieving the suppression, and to look into ways to prevent more cases in the future. > > Dear All, > > > > Greetings from Southend on the east coast of England. > > > > (Apologies for the X posting as I have posted a similar message to the > > Public Health list serve) > > > > I would like to raise the issue of editorial independence here as I feel > > it is very relevant to the basic concept of evidence-based health care. If > > interest groups can prevent or dictate what can be or cannot be published > > in scientific journals this could lead to distortion of science and there > > by the evidence. > > > > This morning’s BMJ reported an incident where the executive editor of an > > American speciality journal has to refuse publishing an editorial on > > epoetin written by the president of the non-profit making Medical > > Technology and Practice Patterns Institute, despite a favourable peer > > review. The BMJ reports that the editor of the journal wrote to the author > > of the editorial that he had been "overruled by our marketing department.” > > I feel that this amounts to interference in editorial independence. > > > > You can access the BMJ news @ > > http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/328/7434/244-b > > > > Disturbed by this report, I spent this morning writing up a rapid response > > to this item, which is available from the BMJ web site @ > > http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/328/7434/244-b#48764 > > > > Would be happy to hear the views of the colleagues on this issue. > > > > Regards & very best wishes and have a GWEN (good week end!) > > > > Badri > > > > Dr.P.Badrinath MD PhD MFPHMI > > SPR in Public Health & Recognised Clinical Teacher, > > Southend PCT & University of Cambridge, UK > > http://myprofile.cos.com/badrishanthi Roy M. Poses MD Brown University Center for Primary Care and Prevention 111 Brewster St. Pawtucket RI 02860 USA 401 729-3400 fax 401 729-2494 [log in to unmask]