Health
Life and death in New York City
No matter where in the apartment I am, if I sit very still, I hear a siren. Over the 18…
Age discrimination
Why does coronavirus affect the generations differently?
The virus is not invincible, but it’s exposing who’s irreplaceable
In all the gloom and doom, and media-driven nihilism, there is actually an array of good news. As many predicted,…
After the coronavirus, who wins the recovery?
We are living through a gruesome case study in the irrationality of elites. COVID-19 is a serious disease, but the…
Panic among the pigeons
Life is a risky business. Danger is everywhere. In New York, even the pigeons are a threat. A friend recalled…
How worried should we be?
Coronavirus may be more widespread than we think – and less deadly
My night in A&E
I wish I shared the Prime Minister’s confidence about the ability of the NHS to cope with coronavirus. ‘I have…
Feverish imaginations
The most dangerous thing about coronavirus is the hysteria
Elbow
Before the Covid-19 scare I never thought that one particular Spanish proverb would come in useful. It goes: ‘Los ojos…
Donald Trump vs corona hysteria
I like to keep a couple of books within easy reach of my desk to remind myself what sort of…
The kindness of strangers
Having Parkinson’s has shown me a different side of society
Viral hit
How prepared is the UK for a pandemic?
We’re all the worse for drink
I’m not one of these teetotallers who frowns on people who imbibe, like an angsty ex-smoker who petulantly swats away…
Are childhood vaccination rates dropping?
Who speaks what The Chancellor, Sajid Javid, included a little Punjabi in his speech to the Tory conference. How many…
The reason middle-class parents are so anxious
On that record-breaking, sweltering day at the end of July, my three-year-old son did a pirouette in the paddling pool…
Proton therapy: Cancer revolution or costly white elephant?
It’s Asco week in Chicago: the biggest meeting of clinical oncologists in the world. McCormick Place convention centre, the largest…
My medical treatment is sending me bonkers – and it’s no fun
If I’ve been incredibly rude to you or snappy or tearful lately, if I’ve taken offence where none was intended,…
![British poet Salena Godden presenter of Mrs Death Misses Death on Radio 4. [Photo: Roberto Ricciuti / Getty Images]](https://new-dev.spectator.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Radio.jpg?w=410&h=275&crop=1)
Listening to people talking about death can be strangely consoling
‘Without death,’ says Salena Godden, ‘life would be a never-ending conveyor belt of sensation.’ For her death is what gives…
How does anyone manage to navigate the maze of our second-rate NHS?
Next month the National Health Service turns 70. The institution is greatly loved, and not for nothing. The fear of…
Farewell to a bottle and a half per day – I have finally embarked on a diet
Are there still travelling fairs? In many villages, they used to be part of the annual round. For weeks, the…
I’d rather be fat-shamed than have cancer
Sofie Hagen is a young Danish comic I admire. I didn’t see her most recent show, Dead Baby Frog, but…
Nine reasons to be cheerful this year
Since it’s the first week of the New Year I’m going to pretend the bad stuff isn’t happening and focus…
Dr Google’s verdict? Anthrax poisoning
Six months into the renovations and I have so much dust in my lungs I have had to give Stefano…
A book about sleep that will keep you up all night
I’ve read several books about sleep recently, and their authors all tell me the same three things. The first is…
Health and personal choice
Public health specialist Sir Michael Marmot has blamed ‘the cuts’ for the rise in dementia among the elderly, resulting in…
