Surface-level observations:
Kumar & Clark is published by Saunders Ltd (based in Philadelphia USA), an imprint of Elsevier. (1),(2) “Following the tradition of quality started by W B Saunders more than 120 years ago, each work is written by experts in the field, edited to reflect the latest research…” (3)
“Elsevier B.V. (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɛlzəvir]) is an academic publishing company that publishes medical and scientific literature. It is a part of the Reed Elsevier group*. Based in Amsterdam, the company has operations in the United Kingdom, US, Mexico, Brazil, Spain and elsewhere.” (4)
“In December 2013, Elsevier announced a collaboration with University College, London, the UCL Big Data Institute…Elsevier's investment is "substantial" and thought to be more than £10 million.” (4) [General FYI: Per Fink co-author Anne Mette Skovgaard is affiliated with UCL.]
“In 2010, Elsevier reported a profit margin of 36% on revenues of US$3.2 billion…Elsevier's high profit margins and copyright practices have subjected it to much criticism.” See also criticisms related to weapons industry, shill review offer, and cost of knowledge protest.(4)(5)
* “Reed Elsevier is an Anglo-Dutch multinational publishing and information company co-headquartered in London, United Kingdom and Amsterdam, Netherlands…. Net income £1.110 billion (2013)… Erik Engstrom (CEO) (6).
“He [Engstrom/Engström] has a BSc from the Stockholm School of Economics [Sweden], an MSc from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm [Sweden], and an MBA from Harvard Business School where he was a Fulbright scholar.” (7)
Elsevier’s neuroscience education endeavors:
“Morristown, NJ, 10 February 2005 - Elsevier’s International Medical News Group (IMNG) is pleased to announce an educational alliance between the Neuroscience Education Institute (NEI) and Clinical Psychiatry News to create and deliver high quality medical education for psychiatrists and allied health professionals.
NEI is an independent, Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)-accredited, provider of continuing medical education (CME) and a leader in psychopharmacologic education. NEI has been recognized for its innovative contributions to psychiatric education through such awards as the 2002 Lundbeck International Neuroscience Foundation (LINF) Prize…” (8) (See also Lundbeck (9)).
And more recently:
“It [Reed Elsevier] has strengthened its presence in digital media and, in April [2013], acquired Mendeley, a social network for academics.” (10) “David Dobbs, in The New Yorker, described Elsevier's reasons for buying Mendeley as two-fold: to acquire its user data, and to 'destroy or co-opt an open-science icon that threatens its business model.'” (11)
(1)
http://store.elsevier.com/Kumar-and-Clarks-Clinical-Medicine/isbn-9780702044991/
(2)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saunders_(imprint)
(3)
https://store.elsevier.com/Saunders/IMP_23/
(4)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsevier
(5)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cost_of_Knowledge
(6)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_Elsevier
(7)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Engstrom
(8)
http://www.elsevier.com/about/press...nce-educational-alliance#sthash.2Faif5JA.dpuf
(9)
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...-from-rebecca-hansen.29011/page-2#post-508084
(10)
http://www.euroinvestor.com/news/2013/09/25/reed-elsevier-cfo-resigns-update-2/12508391
(11)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendeley
Perhaps someone (or a group of someones ) should write an open and of course respectful letter to Mr. Engström, explaining how Saunders/Elsevier's info does not reflect experts' "latest research" in the field and ask Mr. Engström to consider updating ME/CFS info according to, for example, the CCC and/or ICC and/or IACFS/ME Primer?
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Edit: It appears that Malcolm Hooper tried to alert Engström to problems with Engström's ME/CFS publications (the Lancet with PACE?), but Hooper seems never to have heard from Engström or his office.
http://www.meactionuk.org.uk/Comments-on-PDW-letter-re-PACE.htm