It’s a boy! Probably.

The arrival of the latest addition to the Royal Family got me thinking about a probability problem which is quite straightforward on the face of it but which most people get wrong: A pregnant woman attends for her routine ultrasound scan, and the sonographer diagnoses twins, telling her that one of them is certainly a … Continue reading It’s a boy! Probably. →

How long have I got, Doc?

I once had a rather odd conversation with a patient, which went something like this: "Tell me, Doc, how long have I got left?" "I can't really give you a very good answer to that." "Well, put it this way: Do you think I will last the Summer?" "Yes, I think there's a reasonably good … Continue reading How long have I got, Doc? →

Five things to ask your electoral candidate

In the run-up to the recent EU elections I received a letter from my local MP, Ruth Cadbury, to her constituents. It included a survey (also available online) canvassing our views on knife crime, specifically whether any of us had been affected by it, what we thought the causes were and what should be done … Continue reading Five things to ask your electoral candidate →