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From: wjc@mtuxo.UUCP (w.cambre)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: The subject appears to be ME.
Message-ID: <2150@mtuxo.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 21-Oct-86 12:54:33 EDT
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Posted: Tue Oct 21 12:54:33 1986
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Craig responded with a lengthy article defending himself (not really the AMA)
as an MD (or is it an MD-to-be? I wish you'd let me know). One point which I
found quite interesting is as follows:

> 	Secondly,  I and every good medical student realize that 50% of
> medical theories are wrong.  the trouble is that at any given time, we
> don't know which half.
> 
I don't think I've ever heard any doctor say this before.  Maybe all the one's
I've ever known about weren't good medical students.  Do they really teach
this to  you up there at Albert Einstein?  Just remember this when (if) you
start practicing on the average American out here.  It would seem (especially
in the case of Obstetric MD's in New Jersey) that there are few doctor's who
practice as if they believed your above statement.

And Craig, do you really belong to the AMA ONLY because of its publications?
Come on, you may not pay attention to what the AMA tries to tell its MD's to
do, but don't you think there is some good in the AMA and you belong 'cause
you want to support it? (there's nothing wrong that).

As for my comments on the AMA.  I don't think there is a plot to make doctors
richer or anything like that.  I just think the AMA has too much power, for 
two reasons.

First it is too tightly coupled with the medical insurance business.  Thus
the AMA's guidelines tend to conform to the insurance companies wants and
also the insurance policies tend to conform to the AMA's guidelines.
This has the effect that if you don't follow the AMA's guidelines, its
harder to get insurance.

Secondly the AMA is too tightly coupled with the legal system.  When a doctor
goes on trial for malpractice, her guilt is determined not by what is right
and what is wrong, but rather by what is 'standard practice'.  And the
AMA's guidelines are often what is considered standard practice.  So if
you don't follow the guidelines, you are more apt to be sued and to lose,
right or wrong.

Now I don't have the slightest idea how to change any of that, but it does
seem to me to be  the problem.  Of course, if only 2% of medical theories
were wrong, then it wouldn't be much of a problem.

 - Bill Cambre