tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post4566880766353205906..comments2024-03-26T00:25:34.026-04:00Comments on Not Running a Hospital: Tamarins, Ewoks, and peoplePaul Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065446378970179507noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-86052403547876839132012-03-05T13:25:44.788-05:002012-03-05T13:25:44.788-05:00Why can't they do tests on people? There are m...Why can't they do tests on people? There are many willing participants in pain or with life threatening illnesses. It's not the cuteness of the animals, but the fact that they are taken unwillingly and subjected to many torturous activities. The double standard is that you can't test on people first.Willnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-45913305725908748642012-03-05T08:46:24.921-05:002012-03-05T08:46:24.921-05:00As a side note...
You may enjoy this recent post ...As a side note...<br /><br />You may enjoy this recent post from another blog I follow. Marilyn Monroe had a great idea about how to advocate for herself during surgery - even when she was already unconscious:<br /><br />http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/03/no-ovaries-removed.htmlJulianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-59786894020664868532012-03-05T08:22:54.308-05:002012-03-05T08:22:54.308-05:00Thanks for an interesting post. The neglect that i...Thanks for an interesting post. The neglect that is occurring at the New England Primate Center is inexcusable. Likewise, the neglect and sub-par care that I've seen poor people receive in our nation's medical offices and hospitals also is inexcusable. (My own grandmother, a poor and uneducated woman in rural Kentucky, died as the result of being given two incompatible drugs and sent home after seeking treatment in the emergency room for a migraine one weekend.) Both human and animal neglect, in my mind, are symptomatic of a larger problem in our society. In my mind, the anthropomorphism you mention is not a bad thing at all. It serves to remind us that we're not as different from animals as we would like to believe. (Alas, humans ARE animals!) It also may one day help us to realize that human health is linked inextricably to that of non-human animals and the environment.<br /><br />We must take every death of humans and tamarins (as well as all other animals in medical laboratories) very seriously. Most people give absolutely no thought to how many rabbits, rats, Beagles, monkeys, chimpanzees, and other animals suffered (and sometimes were killed) in order for us humans to have various drugs or medical procedures (not to mention frivolous things like make-up and household products) available to us. <br /><br />I believe that we must continue to develop alternatives to animal models not only because it's ethically sound to do so but because the research findings from rats and even chimpanzees are not always predictive of how a drug is going to behave in a human body. Amazing scientists at places like the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing and at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine - not to mention Organovo - are committed to finding such alternatives. I also believe that I have a moral obligation as a human being to volunteer for medical studies. Likewise, we all have an obligation as citizens of this country to raise the issues of patient neglect and death with our legislators, hospital administrators, and healthcare providers. Perhaps we can even volunteer to serve as a patient advocate for someone who doesn't have the ability (or English language skills) to advocate for him or herself in health matters.<br /><br />The bottom line? Unless those of us who are keenly aware of these issues of human and animal mistreatment and neglect make a point of raising those issues time and time again until something changes, we're just as guilty as Fred Wang. We can not afford to turn a blind eye, and I thank you for being a constant reminder of what must change in our nation's hospitals.Julianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-60782978179103667132012-03-05T07:54:20.817-05:002012-03-05T07:54:20.817-05:00I agree with that and we are working on it with QA...I agree with that and we are working on it with QA and RCA. Much better than when I started in 1971 when the docs closed ranks on the poor performers and covered up the mistakes. Still trying to put patients first!Tomnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-8544332509948260472012-03-05T07:47:42.948-05:002012-03-05T07:47:42.948-05:00The legal system will not be changed, but it does ...The legal system will not be changed, but it does not have to be changed to accomplish that goal. Many places have figured out how to work within the malpractice legal environment to incorporate transparency and process improvement.Paul Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17065446378970179507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-83777875940281314032012-03-05T07:46:01.449-05:002012-03-05T07:46:01.449-05:00When do we change the legal system so we can analy...When do we change the legal system so we can analyze and correct rather than blame?Tomnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-19268552362120822982012-03-04T09:24:08.426-05:002012-03-04T09:24:08.426-05:00Good point, Paul. I was outraged about the cage wi...Good point, Paul. I was outraged about the cage with no water bottle, and then thought, wait - what about the human patient in bed with the infiltrated IV line, or given the wrong medication, or the alarm sounding with no response? Those conditions are directly analogous to the monkey with no water bottle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com