Higo Blog

My father just emailed me an article, entitled "Death By Medicine" about what is wrong with the American medical system today.

It is now evident that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the US. (By contrast, the number of deaths attributable to heart disease in 2001 was 699,697, while the number of deaths attributable to cancer was 553,251.)

It seems counter-intuitive that our medical system, the one that we depend on to heal us, is the cause (the leading cause of death and injury) of so much unnecessary death and injury. This article explores in detail what is wrong, and more importantly what can be corrected in order to remedy these flaws, with medicine in the U.S.. Who would really argue that they don't mind being (or being treated by) a fatigued, rushed doctor who is administering aid outside of his or her area of expertise?

The practices of the pharmaceutical industry are also carefully examined. Is it beneficial for large industries to put medical journalists on the payroll, or for research to be done by researchers who are anything less than impartial towards anything other than scientific objectivity? Might these interests conflict with the general well-being of society, or are large companies to be blindly trusted in the hope that they will be pillars of ethical righteousness?

The issue of iatrogenic (meaning induced in a patient by a physician's activity, manner, or therapy. Used especially of an infection or other complication of treatment. Until very recently, I didn't know what this meant either) injury is especially scary. If you were a doctor and you screwed up, you might think long and hard about reporting it because if you did it might very well cost you your reputation, career, and a lot of money. The article implies that the vast majority of iatrogenic injuries go unreported. The bulk of those that are reported are done so because they have been discovered by the patient or the family of the patient (after they die sometimes). I am not comforted in how some doctor's superior knowledge of medicine is being used, or withheld in these situations. I see two factors at blame here, one being the medical industry, and the other being our litigious society.

I got sick last year, and my employer insisted that I go to a hospital so they could treat my cold. I refused, and not only were they baffled, but they were also agitated.

Supervisor: "Why didn't you go to the hospital to go see a doctor?"

Supervisor: "Next time, you need to go to the hospital."

I am glad that I didn't go to the hospital, because if I had, they might have injured me iatrogenically. Try translating that to your tantousha.

On a side note, Matt once was dragged to the hospital by his supervisor, and they rused him into getting a tube shoved down his throat (without prior consent) while he was still awake. Maybe they were punishing him for being a bad ALT, hahaha!