the glory and the horror

The philosophy of medical school admissions – how do you know what you’re getting? Are you getting the right types of people to get the right types of doctors on the other end?

The effects of DTC marketing by drug companies and the autonomy of the patient.

The nature of wanting perfect outcomes in medicine, but not realizing inherent risk and luck in medical outcomes. The probablistic nature of medicine, and how science and the media have failed to convey that to the public.

http://derekwebb.net/archives/2004/08/14/transcript-of-aug-12th-chat/#more-47

I’m very excited about both the new Caedmon’s Call album and Derek’s next one.

So life has been pretty crazy around here lately. Phil and I are both in our 3rd year of medical school, and spend many waking and non-waking hours at the hospital. Phil, however, is doing much better with this life-adjustment than I am. However, I am the happy beneficiary of his excellent coping. He has really been great to me lately. He put up with my surprise hibernation this weekend even though it meant periodically calling various friends and canceling our plans, as I could not seem to wake up! Also, he was at school all day today and tonight he brought my team and me dinner. What kindness! It was also great to see him; it gives me something to look forward to when I’m starting to feel worn down here. Funny story though. I had to scan this guy�s bladder with an ultrasound like they use for pregnant women. I just knew that as soon as I started, Phil would page me and be here with dinner. Sure enough, I was just about to turn the machine on when he paged me. Alas, at least I wasn’t up to my elbows in ultrasound gel (not that I ever got up to my elbows, but it can get pretty messy). I’m sure Phil will have his own ultrasound stories as he is starting on OB/Gyn. Back to business here, over and out!

Not the TV show, but two of my good buddies from California are moving to Dallas this week, to come to seminary here. They’re scheduled to arrive Wednesday/Thursday, I do believe, and I’m looking forward to seeing them, because I haven’t seen one of them in over a year, and he just returned from a year in Central Asia.

Yahoo! News – Hong Kong has highest abortion rate in developed world

Sadness.

Redemption as the motivating factor for doctors to treat the difficult patient

Birth-defect tests bewilder both doctors, parents-to-be: Preventable problems still plague the convoluted, ethically complicated prenatal-screening system.
From the Orlando Sentinel

Hmmm. Can we say loaded? What is reasonable to expect of your child? Perfection? Who is “responsible” if the child isn’t born “perfect?”

Affectionate Patriarchs – Christianity Today Magazine

Churchgoing conservative Protestant men do less household work than their secular counterparts, but their conservative wives don’t mind. Why?

Churchgoing evangelical Protestant family men do about an hour less of household labor per week than unaffiliated family men. But their wives, compared to the wives of unaffiliated men, are significantly more likely to feel their household labor is appreciated. Thus, though evangelical men do less housework than other husbands, they tend to be more grateful for their wives’ housework. In other words, the average evangelical family man may, for instance, do slightly less laundry than the average secular family man, but the evangelical man appears to be more likely to thank his wife for the laundry she does.

…

Since the 1960s, birthrates have been falling among Christians. Too many Christians now think marriage is primarily about the emotional union between the spouses. This is wrong. Marriage is supposed to be a fruitful spiritual, emotional, and physical union between spouses that enlarges the kingdom of God in large part through the bearing and rearing of children. Married Christians should recall the first commandment God gave to his people: “Be fruitful and multiply.” Christians ought to recognize that children are a gift from God and act accordingly.

First Things June/July 2004: Conciliating Hatred

Beautifully written. Very sharp.

In no particular order

http://www.phil.upenn.edu/

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Program
St Christopher’s Hospital for Children Program

http://www.emory.edu/PHILOSOPHY/grad/index.html

Emory University Program

http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/root/vumc.php?site=ethics&doc=2163

Vanderbilt University Program

http://philosophy.duke.edu/program/graduate.html

University of North Carolina Hospitals ProgramChapel Hill, North Carolina
Carolinas Medical Center ProgramCharlotte, North Carolina
Duke University Hospital Program Durham, North Carloina

http://www.bcm.edu/ethics/phd.htm
http://philosophy.rice.edu/gradad.cfm

Baylor College of Medicine Program
University of Texas at Houston Program

http://www.cla.sc.edu/PHIL/

Medical University of South Carolina Program

http://www.cwru.edu/med/bioethics/phd.htm

Case Western Reserve University (MetroHealth) Program
Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals of Cleveland Program
Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program

http://www.georgetown.edu/grad/catalogue/phil.html

Children’s National Medical Center/George Washington University Program
Georgetown University Hospital Program

http://www.jhu.edu/~phil/

Johns Hopkins University Program
Sinai Hospital of Baltimore Program
University of Maryland Program
National Capital Consortium Program

More to come.