Despite All the Backlash, Anti-Depressants Can Really Help
On The Empire of Depression by Jonathan Sadowsky Among the most important early works in the social history of medicine were histories of mental institutions. Here, in often great detail, historians wrote of seemingly barbaric procedures — such as insulin shock therapy, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and lobotomy — that had less to do with helping […]
Fox, Bosk, and Rothman: An Appreciation of Three Scholars of Medicine
With all of the tumult surrounding the coronavirus and the upcoming presidential election, few people likely noticed that three important figures in bioethics, medical history, and medical sociology recently died within a month of one another. But for those of us who work in these fields, the deaths of Renée Fox, Charles Bosk, and David […]
‘Three Identical Strangers’: The high cost of experimentation without ethics
On Sunday night, CNN will air “Three Identical Strangers,” a documentary about an experiment in which adopted twins and triplets were secretly separated. Viewers will probably be appalled as they learn about the emotional damage these individuals experienced as a result of their forced separation. But this medical experiment was not exceptional: It was just […]
Fat Nation Changed How I Talk to My Patients About Obesity
A couple of years ago, I wrote a purposely provocative post for the New York Times’ Well blog arguing that it was reasonable for physicians to discuss serious health issues with their patients without first asking permission to do so. Unfortunately, the editors titled the piece, “Can We Talk About Your Weight?” which perhaps implied […]
When Your ‘Regular Doctor’ Could Be Anyone
“Will you be my regular doctor?” a new patient seeing me in my primary care clinic asked. “Sort of,” I honestly answered. She looked back at me quizzically. “Technically speaking I will be your doctor,” I explained. “But you may have trouble scheduling an appointment with me and may have to see another doctor here […]
The Death of the Doctor’s Dog
Our dog’s brain tumor had worsened to the point that she was restless at all times and often walked in circles. She had mostly stopped eating and was partially blind. Like so many pet owners, our family finally decided to intervene rather than having “nature take its course.” Akeela, our beloved boxer, had had her […]
Should Hospitals Be Upbeat?
Would you appreciate being cheerfully greeted when you step into your local clinic or hospital? How do you feel about signs announcing, “It’s a great day,” replete with stickers and hearts, on an inpatient ward? And what about a passageway between two hospital buildings labeled the “Compassion Tunnel”? The Affordable Care Act is in trouble […]
How One Family Is Bringing Attention to Hydrocephalus
It is hard enough to support a seriously ill child through a devastating and poorly understood illness. But it is quite another thing to start an organization devoted to raising money to publicize the disease and raise money for research. That, however, is just what the Finlayson family did when their daughter Kate was fighting […]
Can We Talk About Your Weight?
Recently, when attending a medical talk about the connection of unhealthy diets to obesity, heart disease and cancer, I was caught by surprise. “When I want to discuss this issue with patients,” the speaker, a physician, said, “I ask permission.” Permission? I said to myself. Since when do doctors with proven strategies for improving health […]
Teaching Medical Students About Culture and Consent
If a medical researcher had the chance to make a crucial discovery in the fight against a serious disease, is it acceptable to mislead the subjects of her experiment? Seventeen new medical students from the New York University School of Medicine grappled with this question recently as they attended a showing of Informed Consent, an […]