Physiology Medicine & Health Pages
What’s So Important About 5,230?
By Dr. Gifford Jones
“I’ve decided to start publishing your column”, the editor remarked to me. Then he added, “You realize your life will never be the same again?” How true! 30 years later I’ve now written a newspaper column every week, 52 weeks a year, a total of 5,230 articles. It’s an experience I wouldn’t have missed. And what have I learned?
I would gladly hang some lawyers for what they’ve done to medical practice. Parasitic ambulance chasers have forced doctors to take needless x-rays and other tests for fear of medical malpractice suits. This has increased the cost of medical care when medical budgets are stretched to the limit and limited the judgment of physicians.
Why we Should Allow Sterilization of a Mentally Retarded PersonBy Dr. Gifford Jones
If these people cannot care for themselves how can they care for a child?
Would you employ them as a baby-sitter to look after your own child?
If we assume that abortion should not be a method of contraception then it is morally wrong to refuse these people a sterilzation procedure
The fact they cannot provide informed consent is not a valid point. Neither can they give informed consent to any other procedure such as an appendectomy or the need for an antibiotic.
I’ll Loan You My Daughter If This Doesn’t Worry You!By Dr. Gifford Jones
What can we learn from history as we start 2005? Thirty years ago I filed away an article and forgot about it. An editorial in The Ontario Medical Review claimed that people were becoming obsessed with health. It suggested that if the U.S Declaration of Independence were written today it would declare that it was the pursuit of health, rather than the pursuit of happiness, that would be the third inalienable right of Americans. Another old clipping reminded me of Kissick, his Law and his daughter.
The Math Of Medical Ethics 101By Dr. Gifford Jones
“What an incredible story”, I thought as I read the article. But it wasn’t published in a prestigious medical journal. Rather, it was an article in the New Yorker Magazine written by Ian Parker about about Zell Kravinsky. Zell had given away almost his entire 45 million dollar real estate fortune to charity. Then he donated a kidney to save a young stranger’s life. He had even considered donating his other kidney and subjecting himself to kidney dialysis to save another young life. This is Sacrifice with a capital S! Yet thousands of his fellow citizens refuse to donate organs even after their death to those who desperately need them.
A Bus Advertisement May Be The AnswerBy Dr. Gifford Jones
“Why must I wait so long for a cataract operation?” a reader asks. Another angrily decries that her mother had to die in agony from terminal cancer. This past year I’ve received an increasing number of letters from readers dealing with such problems. But during a recent trip to Oxford University, England, I noticed a bus advertisement that suggested a way to solve these dilemmas.
The bus ad read, “Now you can have the hospital you’ve always wanted”. Since there’s so much debate in this country about our deteriorating hospital system, I couldn’t resist calling the number on the bus and visiting Acland Hospital.
The cheapest, safest and best remedy for the common coughBy Dr. Gifford Jones
Voltaire, the French philosopher and writer, once remarked, “The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature heals the disease”. Year after year, North Americans spend millions of dollars on medication they believe is going to help them. But it’s often a waste of money when a dummy pill can cure a variety of ailments.
Dr. Ian Paul, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Penn State Children’s Hospital, Hershey, Pennsylvania, reports this interesting finding in the medical journal, Pediatrics. His studies show that giving your child a glass of water is equally effective in relieving troublesome nighttime coughs as expensive over-the-counter medications.
Sir Isaac Newton’s Boob LifterBy Dr. Gifford Jones
How do I remember Niagara Falls? I’m standing at the brink of the falls on a cold, snowy, night with no one else around. Years ago when I practiced medicine in that city I often stopped on my way home to see this awe-inspiring sight. For others its image is the “Honeymoon Capital of the World”. But I hope it won’t be soon known as “Boob City”. And I’m sure the British physicist, Sir Isaac Newton, would not be impressed by the way his law is being used.
Botulism toxin, historically one of the world’s deadly killers, has been approved by Canada and the U.S. to treat cosmetic conditions. The result? Thousands of aging baby boomers, TV stars and others have lined up to have “Botox” injected into their skin to remove wrinkles.
Medical Madness Christmas 2003By Dr. Gifford Jones
It’s often said that “Lunatics are in charge of the asylum”. Now I’m convinced they’re also in charge of medical care. This holiday season I wish I had a good medical news for readers. But there are times when I wonder how politicians, lawyers and medical ethicists can be so void of common sense.
Case # 1 Horacio Alberto Reyes-Camarena, a convicted murderer, is currently on Oregon’s death row. His crime? He’s convicted of stabbing an 18 year old girl to death and leaving her older sister scarred for life. So when will he go to the great beyond?
It’s Great Science, But all the more need for a living willBy Dr. Gifford Jones
It’s said that “a picture is worth a thousand words”. And the one that I recently saw in the Medical Post is one that’s hard to forget. The picture shows a man totally paralyzed due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. To me it illustrates the best and worst of science.
Lou Gehrig’s Disease is a frightful malady. It’s an inch-by-inch slow paralysis that gradually and insidiously spreads throughout the entire body. The final phase is total paralysis, but with a normally functioning brain. Patients are literally “locked in” inside their bodies. At the end, patients drown in their own mucus. It must be as close to hell as one can imagine.
A Letter From SingaporeBy Dr. Gifford Jones
This week, something I’ve never done before. I’ve often published comments from readers, but never an entire letter. But I believe this unsolicited letter from Singapore is interesting, thought-provoking and too important to toss away. As the lawyers say “Res ipsa loquitor”. This letter speaks for itself.
The letter reads, “I now live in Singapore, but have lived in Ontario for over 50 years. This year when I was home I read your article about Singapore justice. Why you agree with Singapore officials that we have become “irresponsibly permissive” about law and order in North America. Why our namby-pamby approach adversely affects patients emotional and physical health. And why we need a dose of Singapore justice in Canada.
Could Genetically Designed Humans Be Any Worse?By Dr. Gifford Jones
How would you like to live in a world where there was no dishonesty? No more devious Enron accountants. No need to lock your doors. No more headlines that a police officer was shot to death for no reason. No more drug pushers. No more September 11’s. But judging from past history none of this is going to happen. So faced with such a lousy track record wouldn’t genetically designed humans free of corrupt and lethal genes be an improvement?
I’m tired of seeing night after night Israel’s and Palestinians killing each other. And what irony it’s in the Holy Land! It’s appalling that after two thousand years they still refuse to shake hands.
My E-Mail NightmareBy Dr. Gifford Jones
My daughter said, “Dad don’t do it. You don’t need the headaches. Just write your column”. My three sons cautioned, “You have no conception of what you’re getting into. There will be loads of technical problems. Stick to your column” Well I didn’t take their counsel and they were right. Agreeing to provide readers with free medical updates by E-mail has given me E-mailitis. The response was massive, a bloody nightmare. And I keep hearing voices “don’t do it”. So what happened?
Help Your Family By Signing A Living WillBy Dr. Gifford Jones
How many times have we all said, “I must do that one of these days”. Yet, all to often, one of these days, means none of these days. Procrastinating about some things may mean a bit of an inconvenience later on. But failure to sign a “Living Will” in 2003 can result in much needless suffering.
Living Wills are advance directives. They inform family members what you want done if you’re too ill to speak for yourself. But most people fail to sign one. In many ways this is understandable as few people want to think or talk about their eventual demise.
“Terminal Sedation” Is Not Death With DignityBy Dr. Gifford Jones
How much will you endure when you’re dying? Many patients say, “I want enough painkiller to prevent all pain.” Others add “When there’s no further hope of survival give me sufficient medication to end my misery”. Recently the University of Toronto Joint Centre For Bioethics issued new guidelines for doctors who treat pain. But how much pain will they stop?
The new guidelines were developed by physicians, intensive care program directors, and coroners.
Readers Want A Singapore Solution For CanadaBy Dr. Gifford Jones
It wasn’t the usual Christmas column, I agree. But I was tired of reading about brain damaged babies born to mothers on crack cocaine, safe injection sites for addicts, gun deaths in shopping malls and drug traffickers flaunting the law in broad daylight. How the billions of dollars it costs this country could be better used to treat patients. So I asked readers what they thought about Singapore’s tough laws for criminals. I’ve received a ton of letters and E-mails, many asking for a summary of the response.
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