These people are buying their lives for three years at a cost of £7,000 each. Whatever happened to the welfare state? (and whatever happens to those without £7,000?)

Stanley Shaldon, MA, MD, FRCP

Synopsis: Smithies, B. These people are buying their lives for three years at a cost of £7,000 each. Whatever happened to the welfare state? (and whatever happens to those without £7,000?) Nova 1967;7:64-70.

History of Early Dialysis in the UK

It's the early 1960s. Chronic hemodialysis is now possible, but there aren't enough machines to go around. Is it best to have a "Life and Death" committee, as Seattle did—or to use "first come, first served" as a basis for deciding? Dr. Stanley Shaldon kindly contributed this historic magazine article to bring us back in time and help us better appreciate today's resources.

  • Full article available for download only.

These abstracts are only intended for the dissemination of scientific knowledge and for the intellectual exchanges of innovative ideas among healthcare workers. Although the innovative articles we select for inclusion in our Innovative Papers section have all appeared in prestigious publications, not all the avant-garde ideas conveyed in these articles have been accepted into standard medical practice. Patients should obtain advice related to their medical care from their own healthcare providers, and not from information provided by our Innovative Papers section. Clinicians must make informed decisions with regard to the care of their patients. Information obtained from Home Dialysis Central is for the purposes of general medical education only and should not be misconstrued as medical advice. Home Dialysis Central, Medical Education Institute, Inc., and the information contributors are not responsible for any possible injury sustained by patients who are treated by clinicians who mistakenly use information conveyed anywhere on this site for therapeutic purposes.

↑ Top of page