NOTICE BOARD PERSPECTIVE


By Dr Ivor Felstein, Retired Consultant Geriatrician


Scotching the notion


MY SCOTTISH paternal grandfather was (for me at any rate) a fascinating old man. He was born in pre-Soviet Russia where the Tsar (and Tsarina) ran a dictatorial and aggressive personal war against so-called “immigrants”, as well as the Russian revolutionaries who sought to overthrow his unelected governance. When he was still a child, Grandpa


was taken by his older sister aboard a ship which she thought was bound for North America. In fact, the two of them eventually arrived in the Scottish port of Glasgow, where luckily for them a distant cousin working temporarily at the port recognised their names on the ship’s manifest and looked out for their arrival. From the port, Grandpa and his sister


were driven away in a horse-drawn cart to a high-rise tenement in the Gorbals. Here they were eagerly accepted as new arrivals in a fl at belonging to Grandpa’s older cousin, a self-taught tailor. My earliest memory of my Grandpa


was when, still as a boy, I was taken by my Dad to visit him at his detached cottage where he had retired from his trade as a cap maker. On arrival, Grandpa


waved us into the backdoor of the cottage and through into his living room. Here we all sat down, awaiting a cup of tea and some biscuits, while Grandpa poured himself a tot of Scotch whisky. This he drank slowly, while telling us in his native tongue that it was ‘geshmak’ (meaning tasty and pleasant). I was very surprised when he poured a further, if very much smaller amount, into another glass and off ered this tot to me! I was aware enough that this was alcohol, but my only prior experience had been the sips of wine permitted by my parents at festive religious occasions. I looked to my father and he nodded


that it was all right to indulge Grandpa’s whisky “gift”. Instead of testing it with a sip, I copied Grandpa and gulped down the lot. The sensation was extraordinary (I found out much later this was a Highland malt whisky from Aberfeldy in Perthshire). It had a lovely all-round fl avour with a lightly peaty element, or as the whisky experts describe it, a “peaty nose”. I felt the warmth inwardly and gave Grandpa a big smile. He smiled widely too and said: “Really good, eh Laddie, now you are my wee man…” Lest you get the wrong impression of my Grandpa, the next time I went to see him some weeks later I was given fi zzy lemonade. The entire scenario came back to


me recently when I was reading a local newspaper. An article hinted that the best whiskies have not only an entertaining and relaxing element. They also may have a positive eff ect on human organs, providing a ‘useful stimulus’ as the imbiber grows older. Only in one sense might I agree: they invariably encourage micturition. Other so-called health benefi ts are


not, in my view, totally proved thus far. The article failed to mention that alcohol intake in regular excess (more than 14 units per week in women and more than 21 units per week in men) can in time, produce hepatic disease and peripheral nerve damage, not to mention pancreatic disease. It can even, allegedly, encourage osteoporosis in some women. Speaking at pre-retirement courses


now years on I attempt to explain the reason behind this six-unit gender gap, stressing how all alcohol is inevitably passed through the liver and – over a given lifetime – the female liver is less able to deal with excessive amounts than the male liver. Some men, I am told, armed with this knowledge at the pub or even at home have been known to omit a drink or two for the ladies “on health grounds”. I call that ungenerous and ungentlemanly. Did someone say “Cheers”?


about your professional conduct or clinical competency and the GMC or GDC may invite you to respond to these allegations. In these circumstances, doctors and


dentists should not be tempted to formulate a response on their own. You should contact an MDDUS adviser without delay as timescales can be tight. Correspondence at such an early stage in the complaints process may not seem


signifi cant, but it is important to remember that anything you write or say to the GMC or GDC may ultimately end up before a fi tness to practise panel or investigating committee. Contacting MDDUS will allow a medico- or dento-legal adviser to off er appropriate legal advice from the start about how to reply. In some cases, it may even be necessary for MDDUS to instruct


a solicitor to draft a response on a member’s behalf. A trawl through MDDUS fi les highlights numerous instances where members have not taken advice on how to respond to the GMC or GDC and their response has gone on to have a negative impact on their case. So don’t act alone.


sites for these fractures being the spinal vertebrae, hip and wrist. Osteoporosis: assessing the risk of fragility fracture is available at www.nice.org.uk/CG146 ● LATEST ISSUE OF GPST Check out the latest edition of


AUTUMN 2012


GPST magazine, which is aimed at MDDUS members in GP training but also with content that any GP will fi nd useful and interesting. This issue


features a fascinating profi le of prison GP Dr


Iain Brew, a look at new GMC guidance on child protection and advice on working as a GPwSI in diabetes. To access previous issues go to Publications at www.mddus.com. ● WRITE FOR SUMMONS The publications team at MDDUS is


always happy to use contributions from members. So if you have an idea for an article or a personal perspective please email jkillgore@mddus. com or phone on 0845 270 2038. Check out all our print publications at www.mddus.com


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