Tag Archives: Harvard

THE “HELL” THAT MEDICINE CAN BE

Corruption, Medicine, Politics, Truth, , ,

BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL – REDUX

Now that Alaska has its own scandalous medical situation, I wonder how many other states and hospitals are as sleazy as Boston Children’s Hospital. When the word finally got out that the “doctor” who diagnosed Justina Pelletier with Somatoform Disorder was in the United States to complete his medical training and had been at the hospital for only seven months, all kinds of red flags got raised for me.

First of all, this guy would probably be only a resident. That means he is not even yet a full-fledged doctor of anything. My experience with residents has been less than wonderful at times.

When our daughter was at Boston Children’s she had a resident come in and tell her that they would not give her her thyroid medication because her blood tests indicated she was fine and didn’t have any thyroid problems at all. She told him she had been taking the medication for two years and that was why her levels were normal, so if they took her off she would no longer be “fine.” He continued to argue but finally conceded the point and gave her the medicine. Why should she have had to defend herself? If the guy had any brains at all the situation should have been obvious.

One of the worst problems with residents is they tend to think they know it all and many of them stay that close minded in spite of what happens around them.

For the life of me I cannot understand how this “doctor” at Boston’s has been given leeway to do what he has done. And where has his supervising physician been in this mess?

The DFS in Massachusetts has been less than stellar in their handling of Justina’s case. For them now to say their goal has “always” been to do what’s best for Justina and reunite her with her family as soon as possible is a complete joke. Who does anyone believe anymore? Any patient, or their guardian, at any time has the right to request a second, third, or fourth opinion, and they also have the right to leave a hospital when their needs are not met.

And Judge Johnston needs to be thoroughly investigated. Who does he think he is and what conceivable right does he have to issue a “gag order” in such a matter?

This whole case is such a travesty, both medically and legally. Whatever can be done to restore trust in a hospital with such policies? I sincerely hope Justina’s family sues the hospital, the doctors and the state of Massachusetts, and that they sign no non-disclosure agreements.

In the Alaska case, I know that if our Governor does not at least speak out soon, I will work tirelessly against his reelection, and when the judge comes before voters for retention I will work just as tirelessly against him. When the names of the doctors are known I think they should be sued, individually and as a group. I will never again set a foot in any Providence medical facility if I can possibly help it.

What are the laws in your state governing what the medical profession can do to you? You might check out your state’s Youth and Family Services while you’re at it.

HARVARD HUBRIS

Education, Politics, Truth, ,

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL, WHO’S THE SMARTEST ONE OF ALL?

Sandra Korn, a student at Harvard and a columnist for the HARVARD CRIMSON, has raised eyebrows over her assertion that adherence to liberalism trumps academic freedom, and Harvard should lock out those who do not agree with her. I suppose she’s getting her fifteen minutes in the limelight, but let’s look at what she has to believe in order to make such a proposition:

That Sandra Korn is the smartest woman in the world, or at least at  Harvard (which, in her mind, may be the same thing.)
That she knows everything, so no other ideas are needed.
That anyone who thinks other than she is at least her inferior, if not downright stupid, and probably evil.
That free thought and free speech should not be tolerated in academia, so Harvard must bar its doors against such folk. (I thought they already had, so this point may be moot.)
That she has the right to determine what other people think and say.

In another context I had quoted Soren Kirkegaard as follows: THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO BE FOOLED. ONE IS TO BELIEVE WHAT IS NOT TRUE; THE OTHER IS TO REFUSE TO BELIEVE WHAT IS TRUE.

Sandra seems to have put herself on the horns of a dilemma here. What she says and why she apparently believes she has the right to say it are completely illogical and profound foolishness for the following reasons:

Sandra has not told us her IQ, but it is possible that smarter people than she exist, some may even attend Harvard, or no university at all.
It is impossible that she knows everything and has no need of other ideas. What a closed mind that would be.
Very intelligent people, some way smarter than she, may very well disagree with her.
Free thought and free speech are the very essence of TRUTH and LEARNING.
What other people think and say are, frankly, none of her business. If she chooses to engage them in debate then she is obliged to remain civil.

What she says, and apparently believes, is not true and meets Kirkegaard’s first test of foolishness. Her REFUSAL to believe that free ideas and free speech are vital to academic freedom meets his second test of foolishness,

Sandra appears to be a foolish person on all counts and the horns of her dilemma are very sharp, they might even break her ego mirror on the wall.