Blades

 

There has been a great deal of political capital made recently over the death of Henry Nowak, stabbed to death by Dikrum Sigwa in Southampton, with a ceremonial Kirpan with an 8 inch blade, which Sigwa claimed he carried as a necessary aspect of religious observance.

DZ does not intend to comment on the politcal aspects, other than to describe the actions of the Nazi, Nigel Farage, as utterly deplorable, and clearly intended to stir up racial hatred against the Sikh community.

But there is a legal aspect here that I find concerning.

In the UK, to legally carry a knife the cutting edge must be 3 inches (7.62 cm) or less.

If the blade is longer than 3 inches (e.g., fixed-blade, hunting, or large kitchen knives), you are not permitted to carry it in public unless you have a "good reason" or lawful authority. Examples include:

• Using it for work purposes (e.g., a chef carrying their professional knives).

• Taking it to a gallery, museum, or historical re-enactment.

• Using it for outdoor activities (e.g., fishing, farming, or hiking).

Note: You must only have the knife on you for the specific activity you are doing. You cannot stop at the pub or run personal errands while carrying it. Furthermore, self-defence is never recognized as a valid reason for carrying a knife, or any weapon in the UK.

Observance of religious dogma is notably also not considered a valid reason, yet the kirpan used by Sigwa had an eight inch blade. It is, I understand, perfectly acceptable to Sikhs to limit the size of the kirpan to three inches, or even less. But even at that length a knife can cause serious, or even fatal injury. For this reason even such a knife can still be considered in law an offensive weapon under certain circumstances, and their carriage in public still result in prosecution.

Amazingly, carrying a kirpan in schools is permitted in the UK as an article of faith. Airlines however insist that such items can not be worn in flight but kept in checked luggage, a restriction that Sikhs seem perfectly happy to accept.

Suggestions that the laws on the carrying of the Kirpan in public should be re-examined have met with resistance by a small number of Sikhs. The argument is that applying restrictions to all Sikhs because of the actions of one man is inherently unfair.

But this argument, has been tried before.

Until 1996 it was perfectly possible for private individuals to own handguns, though only under licence and very strict regulation.

However at Dunblane primary school in Dunblane, near Stirling, Scotland, on 13 March 1996, 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton killed 16 pupils and one teacher and injured 15 others before killing himself. He used properly licensed firearms.

There was massive public outcry and with an upcoming general election all the major parties promised to ban the private ownership of handguns. Some gun owners made the argument that applying restrictions to all gun owners because of the actions of one man is inherently unfair. Unsurprisingly that argument was dismissed. There was no real resistance. The gun owners took their toys to the police and handed them in quietly and peacefully.

If someone decided to start a new religion, where one of the articles of the new faith was that all adherents be required to carry handguns, it is inconceivable that that would be accommodated.

Religious faith should never be used to give followers of that faith special treatment in any area of life, particularly the carrying of offensive weapons.

Memories

 

In all the forty five plus years that DZ practiced as a doctor in the NHS, there is something that he never really fully noticed. Something that he pretty much took for granted without thinking about it.

And that is the respect with which I, and most of my colleagues were treated by the vast majority of our patients. And the value that was placed on our knowledge and advice, not only as individuals, but as a profession by society in general.

This was brought home to me yesterday when I read two articles about the fact that, in the USA our medical colleagues do not appear to be regarded so highly and their knowledge is increasingly being disregarded by the prevalence of what Asimov called “anti-intellectualism”. As an example, as many as 10% of the population are opposed to the practice of vaccination.

The consequences of these attitudes are well illustrated by this news article. “According to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, as reported by Idaho News 6, almost 60 people have gotten sick since May 19 after drinking raw milk. So far, 45 of those cases have tested positive for Campylobacteriosis,”

This is in spite of the fact that raw milk is described on the packaging as “not for human consumption”

But this lack of respect for the medical profession goes all the way to the top. This news illustrates that, even the most eminent of our colleagues are not immune from political oppression.

“At the 86th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association in New Orleans on June 5, 2026, police forcibly ejected five prominent obesity and diabetes researchers.

The researchers, including Steven Kahn (editor-in-chief of the ADA's flagship journal Diabetes Care) and pediatric obesity expert Justin Ryder, were removed from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center by police after handing out copies of an editorial they authored criticising the Trump administration.”

Perhaps this is part of the chaotic insanity prevalent in the USA currently. Or perhaps the expense and, for many, inaccessibility, of medical care in the USA has resulted in a disillusion with the profession. A disillusion that has culminated in the murder of a CEO of a healthcare company. The victim had amassed a fortune of 43 million dollars, by running a health insurance company that had a reputation for reluctance to actually provide the care their customers had paid for.

DZ looks back at the interactions he enjoyed with his patients over the years with great satisfaction. Obviously there were a small number who caused a degree of irritation. But the vast majority were a pleasure, and some were truly delightful.

I have a small number of gifts I received from some of them. In accordance with GMC guidelines they are all low in monetary value. But I cherish them all. This is perhaps my favorite, from a lady now long passed but remembered fondly.