Shit happens

This week, to steal a line from the latest BMJ editor’s choice, we’ll be talking shit. The millennium development goal on sanitation is way off track; Lyla Mehta, a sociologist from the Institute of Development Studies, tells us why, and Kamal Kar, a development consultant from India, explains how his grass roots initiative changes the way people view sanitation.

Also, National confidential enquiry into patient outcome and death reported on cosmetic surgery this week. Dr Alex Goodwin, anaesthetist and clinical coordinator of the report, tells us about the problems they had collecting data, and some of the implications of their findings.