Letter: Ethnicity details can help with diagnosis.

Dear Editor

The article on ethnicity and culture in medicine made some important omissions (GP, 13 April).

In ethnicity, the list showed paucity in ethnic origins in the Middle East and eastern Europe - including various varieties of Judaic or Hebrew descent - and non-Irish Celtic peoples for a start.

I would point out that differences in disease incidence rates meant that these are actually important.

Paganism was also omitted, which is strange, seeing as it is of indigenous existence in Britain, and important as a re-emerging religion.

It is also important to GPs to know country of birth (and rearing) beyond those listed, …