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The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine has received a detailed critique by Dr Christopher Greeley of the article, ‘‘Challenging the Pathophysiologic Connection between Subdural Hematoma, Retinal Hemorrhage, and Shaken Baby Syndrome’’ by Dr Steven Gabaeff, published in May 2011, Volume XII, Issue 2. The author’s response is even more detailed. The Journal recognizes that these 2 authorities are diametrically opposed in their opinions, and in the interest of fair academic discourse, we are publishing both the letter to the editor and response to the editor in electronic form for those interested in this highly contentious debate.We leave it to the reader to judge the original article, its critique, and rebuttal, on their own merits.The Editor

While JJ was a medical student, the authors worked on a two-part study of the stories of “good death” as they were told by palliative care patients, caregivers, physicians and nurses. In this personal reflection, de Jong (JJ), now a family practitioner and Clarke (LC), an artist and educator in medicine and health care, consider the value of such “story work” in the development of key skills for a physician. While this is the experience of two individuals, the conclusions have relevance for those engaging in story work within the context of medicine, medical education and the health care community.

Although the term “female sexual dysfunction” is fairly new, the medicalization of women's sexuality is not. As early as the sixteenth century, diagnosis of nymphomania was not uncommon, and the Victorian era saw a dramatic increase in the numbers of women with this “medical condition” (Groneman 1994). A canonical 1973 review of gynecology textbooks documented the profession's reliance on cultural views of women as “frigid,” and of sex and sexual pleasure as male‐centered; the authors suggest that gynecology may be “medicine practiced on women for the benefit of men” (Scully & Bart 2003: 14). While this is an oversimplification, this statement calls attention to the material and cultural biases that inform how biomedicine treats women's sexuality. Cultural and material influences on medical knowledge dominate current literature on the medicalization of female sexual dysfunction (FSD). In the twenty‐first century the pertinent influences include consumerism, privatization of medical research, and “Viagra culture.” This paper will review both feminist critiques and sociological studies of the medicalization of sex and especially female sexual dysfunction.

Purpose: The current study examines the associations between a range of risk factors and reports of suicide attempts, and attempts requiring medical care in a nationally representative study of high school students. The goal is to examine sex differences in the risk factors that are associated with suicide attempts and attempt-related injuries requiring treatment by a health-care provider.Methods: Data from the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey for students in grades 9-12 were used to assess the prevalence and risk factors for suicidal behavior as well as differences in these for boys and girls. Cross-sectional multivariate logistic regression analyses were computed to determine the most important risk factors for suicide attempts and for suicide attempts requiring medical care for the sample overall and also stratified for boys and for girls.Results: Overall, 6.9% of adolescents attempted suicide (9.3% of girls versus 4.6% of boys). Girls were more likely than boys to report a suicide attempt in the past year (Adj.OR=2.89). Among girls, sadness (Adj.OR=5.74), weapon carrying (Adj.OR=1.48), dating violence (Adj.OR=1.60), forced sex (Adj.OR=1.72), and huffing glue (Adj.OR=2.04) were significantly associated with suicide attempts. Among boys, sadness (Adj.OR=10.96), weapon carrying (Adj.OR=1.66), forced sex (Adj.OR=2.60), huffing glue (OR=1.63), hard drug use (Adj.OR=2.18), and sports involvement (Adj.OR=1.52) were significantly associated with suicide attempts.Conclusions: These findings demonstrate similarities and differences in terms of the modifiable risk factors that increase risk for suicide attempts among boys and girls. In terms of the differences between boys and girls, hard drug use and sports involvement may be important factors for suicide prevention strategies that are directed specifically towards boys, while dating violence victimization may be an important risk factor to address for girls. Overall, these findings can help guide prevention, clinical practice, and intervention strategies to prevent suicidal behaviors among adolescents. [West J Emerg Med. 2010; 11(3): 258-264.]