Corporations as vectors of disease

This month the UK parliament has been looking at the big accountancy firms' involvement in drafting tax laws. Conversely, the Department of Health has hidden the involvement of tobacco lobbyists in proposed plain packaging legislation.

Jeff Collin, professor of global health policy at the University of Edinburgh, argues that this culture of industry participation is worrying, but the lack of transparency by government is even worse.

Also this week, what day of the week is safest for surgery? Paul Aylin, a clinical reader in epidemiology and public health at Imperial College London, explains his research.