Transfer and templates in scientific modelling.

The notion of template has been advocated by Paul Humphreys and others as an illuminating unit of analysis in the philosophy of scientific modelling. Templates are supposed to have the dual functions of representing target systems and of facilitating quantitative manipulation. A resulting worry is that wide-ranging cross-disciplinary use of templates might compromise their representational function and reduce them to mere formalisms.

[Epiglottitis in adults in general practice: difficult to recognise and life-threatening].

Epiglottitis is a rare and life-threatening cause of acute sore throat. Usually, epiglottitis is caused by a bacterium, such as Haemophilus influenzae type b. Symptoms of epiglottitis are acute and rapidly progressive sore throat, a hoarse voice, fever, and drooling.

[Unexpected good news after major surgery: a lesson in communication].

When dealing with choices concerning life-threatening or major surgery shared decision making, continuous tuning in with colleagues and monitoring direction is a necessity. The gastroenterologist detected a pancreatic tumour in a 53-year-old man. The patient was told that this tumour was almost surely malignant and that he would die within a year.

Modeling for fairness: A Rawlsian approach.

In this paper we introduce the overlapping design consensus for the construction of models in design and the related value judgments. The overlapping design consensus is inspired by Rawls' overlapping consensus. The overlapping design consensus is a well-informed, mutual agreement among all stakeholders based on fairness.

[Imminent peritonsillar abscess: when should a general practitioner refer?].

Antimicrobial management of an imminent peritonsillar abscess is still under debate. Clinical experience shows that early administration of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid could prevent unilateral peritonsillitis from developing into an abscess. Here we describe two patients who initially received penicillin V treatment.

The problem of many hands: climate change as an example.

In some situations in which undesirable collective effects occur, it is very hard, if not impossible, to hold any individual reasonably responsible. Such a situation may be referred to as the problem of many hands. In this paper we investigate how the problem of many hands can best be understood and why, and when, it exactly constitutes a problem.

A network approach for distinguishing ethical issues in research and development.

In this paper we report on our experiences with using network analysis to discern and analyse ethical issues in research into, and the development of, a new wastewater treatment technology. Using network analysis, we preliminarily interpreted some of our observations in a Group Decision Room (GDR) session where we invited important stakeholders to think about the risks of this new technology. We show how a network approach is useful for understanding the observations, and suggests some relevant ethical issues.

Penicillin for acute sore throat in children: randomised, double blind trial.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of penicillin for three days and treatment for seven days compared with placebo in resolving symptoms in children with sore throat.

Design: Randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial.

Setting: 43 family practices in the Netherlands.