It is not the literal past that rules us, save possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of past. Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past. - George Steiner

The long lazy days of summer, “the silly season” for the media, usually means not much to report. Hold on, maybe that is a myth this year!

On the 7th July, I was travelling by train to Marjory Warren House for BGS business. The House, profiled on our front-page story, lies in an historic part of London near St John’s Gate. It looks like a building developed post-blitz.

An anxious conversation emanating from a fellow passenger on her mobile phone – impossible not to overhear one side of these conversations – indicated bombs were going off in London, so I quickly exited at the next stop. Her information was correct and the rest is history.

Following these events some older people interviewed by the media invoked the “blitz spirit” as an encouragement to citizens to help them cope with the disaster.

However, sober reflections by commentators of an historical or anthropological background indicated that crooks and villains took advantage of the awful disruption caused by the bombings in London during the Second World War. So much for the “blitz spirit”. Once again, the myth shows itself for what it is when scrutinised and explored.

Exploration came in a different guise, media engendered once again, on “Panorama” on BBC Television on the 20th July 2005.

“Undercover nurse” was a three-month undercover investigation when a nurse secretly recorded the experience of working on an acute medical ward in an NHS hospital.

Indignities were once again portrayed and the skilful editorialisation brought tears to the eyes. It was familiar ground on television these days.

Do such programmes shatter myths about the quality of care in citizens’ minds? How does one analyse the power of such images against the reporting of areas of “good practice” for older people as covered in our article in this edition of the newsletter called “Rehabilitation in the NHS and social care – BGS response to scoping study”. How does an individual decide about their perception of quality of care? Whose ideas, when portrayed using different modes of communication, win in the invention of the new mythology?

Ian Hastie mentions that a first set of EU wide health data called the European Community Health indicators project is soon to be published. This will aid the tracking and development of health status of the EU population. Similar work will come from North America and Japan. It will be fascinating to see how the differences and commonalities unmasked by such data will be received and communicated.

Much of the analysis and its communication will depend on the researchers of the future and Phyo Myint gives us an enthusiastic report and reasons why a trainee should immerse themselves in the methodologies of research.

So I sign off to a new editor and in the words of “The League of Gentlemen” —“Hello Dave”.

Kevin Kelleher