British Medical Journal Releases Celebrity Issue
February 2006
"Third-Trimester Weight Gain in Angelina", the feature article in the latest British Medical Journal.
london - In what some say is a reaction to falling sales and the bold strategies of its competitors, the British Medical Journal has released its first issue devoted entirely to what its editor describes as the "important and dynamic new discipline"of celebrity medicine.
Subscribers may be surprised by the cover of the new look BMJ, which features a glossy photo of actress Angelina Jolie, accompanied by the bold heading: "Third Trimester Weight Gain in Angelina! We Bring You the Preliminary Findings".
However, the content inside shows that the journal remains committed to the rigorous scholarship and balanced consideration of medical issues on which it has built its reputation since its inception in 1840.
The abstract to the leading article reads:
A longitudinal study of partum in Angelina Jolie (n=1) found significant third-trimester weight gain. We consider possible explanations. Simmons et al supply anecdotal data in support of their dietary hypothesis. They report that on 46 (CI = 43.8 - 48.2) occasions during a two-week period, Angelina was observed to greedily binge on high glycaemic index foods such as doughnuts and pizzas.
An alternative hypothesis has been put forward by Ramachandran & Hemmings who cite "friends of the actress" in support of a psychosomatic explanation for the excess weight gain. The authors present evidence that during her third trimester Angelina was "feeling down in the dumps " and "stressed out by all the attention", psychological states which have previously been demonstrated to promote accelerated lipid production.
Though there is insufficient evidence to conclusively support either theory, we bet Brad wasn't very impressed.
Other features in the BMJ celebrity issue include "A Comparative Analysis of Metatarsal Fractures in Beckham and Rooney: Might Wayne's Late-Night Antics Adversely Affect Bone Recuperation?"; and "Where Did Jacko Go Wrong? A Perspective from Plastic Surgery"
Over recent months the BMJ has come under increasing pressure to follow the lead of its major competitors and present more colourful, attention-grabbing material.
The trend was set in the November 2005 issue of the Lancet, which came with a sealed section promising "hot, steamy sexually transmitted diseases inside".
Then in February 2006, the New England Journal of Medicine released its inaugural skin cancer awareness swimsuit issue, in which twelve up-and-coming models from a range of racial groups and skin types demonstrated the areas of the body most vulnerable to melanoma.
However, BMJ editor Fiona Goodlee denied that the decision to produce a dedicated celebrity issue was driven by a desire to attract a more mainstream audience, arguing that it was fully in keeping with the philosophy of the journal.
"Look, we've long since moved past the monolithic disease-focused model, and nowadays it's usual for us to provide integrated, in-depth coverage of key themes in modern health care", said Goodlee.
"Whether that means analysing important questions in medical ethics, reporting on preventive health in developing nations, or evaluating whether Jen will finally find happiness with Vince Vaughn, we have a responsibility to cover the important issues of the day", she said.
In other publishing news, the struggling New York Review of Books is set to get an overhaul, and will be relaunched in August as the New York Review of Gameshows.