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13 June 2018
From C. Wright, Clarkson, Western Australia
The recent article about hospital software bugs ( 19 May, p 34 ) caught my eye because I have received no response to a complaint about a related problem. This resulted in a false diagnosis of a rare cancer being entered into my records, possibly twice, at two major public medical centres in Australia. The …
13 June 2018
From Craig Graham, Lancaster, UK
I was interested to read about user error and electronic systems in medicine . But I was disappointed there was so little mention of the progress made in this field. Since 1993 , European standard 60601 and associated texts and updates have attempted to introduce a rigorous engineering approach to making sure that medical equipment …
13 June 2018
From Y.W. Loke, Cambridge, UK
Catherine de Lange describes the ambitions of Bob Hariri and Peter Diamandis to use stem cells from placentas to extend life ( 26 May, p 42 ). Having studied the placenta, I have a few questions for them. Where are stem cells located in the placenta ? How do we distinguish them from the other …
13 June 2018
From Brian Horton, West Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
It is not surprising that our names affect how other people view our age and personality ( 26 May, p 9 ). You can guess the approximate age of many people from their name, since fashions come and go. Our personality is mainly derived from our genes and our early environment – both usually provided …
13 June 2018
From Nick Hunn, London, UK
N.C. Friswell wonders whether the peak pricing on smart meters has gone away (Letters, 26 May ). He is right to be suspicious: it hasn't. The specification for the smart meters being rolled out in the UK contains the most complex pricing capabilities of any in the world. For example, it allows energy suppliers to …
13 June 2018
From Richard Mellish, London, UK
Michael Le Page says "there is no reliable evidence that any existing GM food is less safe than conventional food" ( 26 May, p 28 ). If I were anti-GM, I would regard those as weasel words: in the hallowed phrase, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. More to the point is whether …
13 June 2018
From Merlin Reader, London, UK
Le Page says "virtually every GM crop on the market is designed to help the farmer who grows it". If it is publicly funded this may be true. But the first legal duty of private companies is to maximise shareholder profit. So they generate patents and terminator genes that force farmers to buy new seed …
13 June 2018
From Neil Doherty, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK
I frequently find myself wrestling with my conscience about my meat eating ( 5 May, p 30 ). I am concerned about the increasing numbers of people doing it and the environmental costs, and see animal treatment as a separate issue. Producers seem to try to serve vegans, vegetarians or meat eaters. I find a …
13 June 2018
From Emma Hardesty, Vail, Arizona, US
Niall Firth overlooked a crucial factor in favour of non-meat meats . Some people simply like their taste, texture, aromas, convenience and earth-friendly aspects for themselves – not to satisfy a craving for the real thing.
13 June 2018
From Colin Reynolds, Marple, Cheshire, UK
Aisling Irwin reports the ubiquity of plastic pollution ( 19 May, p 25 ). This reminds me of a visit to my school in the mid-1960s by a photographer following an Antarctic expedition. They claimed that, even then, every sample of Antarctic seawater contained microscopic fragments of nylon from fishing nets. Presumably now so do …
