Law and Medicine : Intellectual Honesty

[Guest guest]

I appear to have struck a chord of discontent with some folks regarding my

concerns about EBM and EMS research.

I've noticed a big difference between the scholarship and journals in law and in

medicine (Yes, Virginia, EMS is medicine.).

Law review articles make no pretensions about their biases. Lawyers are trained

advocates and such advocacy carries into our professional literature. Some in

medicine hide their biases and agendas behind a veneer of research and

scientific inquiry. Which is more honest intellectually?

Yours in cynicism,

Wes Ogilvie, MPA, JD, EMT

Associate Professor of Cynicism and Skepticism

H.L. Mencken Chair in Absurd Cynicism

ny Gage Institute for Prehospital Medicine

(NOTA BENE -- The professorship, chair, and institutional affiliation are

fictional, for those of you who had a humor-ectomy. The abbreviations behind my

name are real enough.)

________________________________________________________________________

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[Guest guest]

Research in medicine sometimes falls to funding and politics. The

research projects I've been involved with as a grad student and in

practice have always had some element of bias. I don't think one can

totally get away from bias.

Some learn this very early. Last year I gave one of my HS Honors

classes a medical scientific research project containing all elements -

lit. search, hypothesis, variables, experiment, analysis, and

conclusion. One girl was researching emotional levels in relation to

cat companionship. She was having a hard time proving her hypothesis by

lit search. She told me, " that's cool, I'll just look til I find lit

out there that supports me. " .....and she did - it was a good

project.....out of the mouths of HS students(we can't call 'em babes).

-MH

>>> 1/8/2007 12:44 pm >>>

I appear to have struck a chord of discontent with some folks regarding

my concerns about EBM and EMS research.

I've noticed a big difference between the scholarship and journals in

law and in medicine (Yes, Virginia, EMS is medicine.).

Law review articles make no pretensions about their biases. Lawyers

are trained advocates and such advocacy carries into our professional

literature. Some in medicine hide their biases and agendas behind a

veneer of research and scientific inquiry. Which is more honest

intellectually?

Yours in cynicism,

Wes Ogilvie, MPA, JD, EMT

Associate Professor of Cynicism and Skepticism

H.L. Mencken Chair in Absurd Cynicism

ny Gage Institute for Prehospital Medicine

(NOTA BENE -- The professorship, chair, and institutional affiliation

are fictional, for those of you who had a humor-ectomy. The

abbreviations behind my name are real enough.)

________________________________________________________________________

Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and

security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from

across the web, free AOL Mail and more.

[Guest guest]

I'm seeing a potential EMS Fellow there. In about 15 years, when we're all

carrying cats on the ambulance, we'll know who to thank.

-Wes

Re: Law and Medicine : Intellectual Honesty

Research in medicine sometimes falls to funding and politics. The

research projects I've been involved with as a grad student and in

practice have always had some element of bias. I don't think one can

totally get away from bias.

Some learn this very early. Last year I gave one of my HS Honors

classes a medical scientific research project containing all elements -

lit. search, hypothesis, variables, experiment, analysis, and

conclusion. One girl was researching emotional levels in relation to

cat companionship. She was having a hard time proving her hypothesis by

lit search. She told me, " that's cool, I'll just look til I find lit

out there that supports me. " .....and she did - it was a good

project.....out of the mouths of HS students(we can't call 'em babes).

-MH

>>> 1/8/2007 12:44 pm >>>

I appear to have struck a chord of discontent with some folks regarding

my concerns about EBM and EMS research.

I've noticed a big difference between the scholarship and journals in

law and in medicine (Yes, Virginia, EMS is medicine.).

Law review articles make no pretensions about their biases. Lawyers

are trained advocates and such advocacy carries into our professional

literature. Some in medicine hide their biases and agendas behind a

veneer of research and scientific inquiry. Which is more honest

intellectually?

Yours in cynicism,

Wes Ogilvie, MPA, JD, EMT

Associate Professor of Cynicism and Skepticism

H.L. Mencken Chair in Absurd Cynicism

ny Gage Institute for Prehospital Medicine

(NOTA BENE -- The professorship, chair, and institutional affiliation

are fictional, for those of you who had a humor-ectomy. The

abbreviations behind my name are real enough.)

__________________________________________________________

Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and

security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from

across the web, free AOL Mail and more.

[Guest guest]

Why be so selective? Why not birds and dogs, too? Aren't PET scans

better than CAT scans anyway?

Mike

> I'm seeing a potential EMS Fellow there. In about 15 years, when

> we're all carrying cats on the ambulance, we'll know who to thank.

>

> -Wes

>

>

> Re: Law and Medicine : Intellectual Honesty

>

> Research in medicine sometimes falls to funding and politics. The

> research projects I've been involved with as a grad student and in

> practice have always had some element of bias. I don't think one can

> totally get away from bias.

>

> Some learn this very early. Last year I gave one of my HS Honors

> classes a medical scientific research project containing all

> elements -

> lit. search, hypothesis, variables, experiment, analysis, and

> conclusion. One girl was researching emotional levels in relation to

> cat companionship. She was having a hard time proving her

> hypothesis by

> lit search. She told me, " that's cool, I'll just look til I find lit

> out there that supports me. " .....and she did - it was a good

> project.....out of the mouths of HS students(we can't call 'em babes).

>

> -MH

>

> >>> 1/8/2007 12:44 pm >>>

> I appear to have struck a chord of discontent with some folks

> regarding

> my concerns about EBM and EMS research.

>

> I've noticed a big difference between the scholarship and journals in

> law and in medicine (Yes, Virginia, EMS is medicine.).

>

> Law review articles make no pretensions about their biases. Lawyers

> are trained advocates and such advocacy carries into our professional

> literature. Some in medicine hide their biases and agendas behind a

> veneer of research and scientific inquiry. Which is more honest

> intellectually?

>

> Yours in cynicism,

> Wes Ogilvie, MPA, JD, EMT

> Associate Professor of Cynicism and Skepticism

> H.L. Mencken Chair in Absurd Cynicism

> ny Gage Institute for Prehospital Medicine

>

> (NOTA BENE -- The professorship, chair, and institutional affiliation

> are fictional, for those of you who had a humor-ectomy. The

> abbreviations behind my name are real enough.)

> __________________________________________________________

> Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and

> security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from

> across the web, free AOL Mail and more.

>

>