Sustainability in health care has become a critical global issue, with health care waste management at its forefront. In particular, the use of disposable and single-use materials contributes to an average of 3.77 kg/bed/day of waste generated in North America,[1] and an estimated 5 million tonnes/year of solid waste generated globally,[2] with evidence indicating an upward trend in health care waste.[3]
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Physicians and nurses play a critical role in shaping the spaces where care happens. National standards, such as the CSA Z8000 standard for Canadian health care facilities, are valuable resources that help health care providers speak the language of design and ensure that clinical realities are reflected in the built environment.
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In 1888 Dr Alois Alzheimer was a clinical assistant at the Municipal Asylum for the Insane and Epileptics in Frankfurt. Under the tutelage of micro-anatomist Franz Nissel, he learned the difficult task of preparing microscopic specimens of brain tissue from his deceased psychiatric patients. In November 1901, 51-year-old Auguste Deter came to Dr Alzheimer’s attention. She presented with progressive memory loss, suicidal thoughts, paranoia, shouting spells, and fear that others might try to kill her. She could not speak and spent her last months in bed, curled up in a fetal position.
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There—
The 18th arrondissement; the foot of Montmartre
In my sparkly sequin sassy sailors that seemed “too much”
Until we arrived at the Moulin Rouge
Sipping chardonnay
Eyes gazing over the mezzanine transfixed by the orchestra
Between the cancan and the cabaret
Among the plumed fans, rhinestones, and feathers
Part of the revue, I found myself
There
Here
Advocating
That naloxone alone is not enough
That our policies fail in reflecting the needs of our community
Pleading across negotiator tables
Dr Caitlin Dunne’s editorial in the May 2025 issue of the BCMJ about Dr Emily Stowe, the first woman in Canada to openly establish a medical practice, brought to mind Dr James Barry. Why think of Dr Barry, a British military surgeon from the 1830s who became the inspector general of military hospitals and also developed an excellent reputation as a surgeon—performing C-sections in 1826 in which both the mother and the child survived? Because after Dr Barry died it was discovered that the good doctor was a woman—Margaret Ann Bulkley, born in Cork, Ireland, in 1789.
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