The term iatroepidemic describes a practice introduced into medicine without sound scientific evidence to establish its
Posted: Mon May 23, 2022 12:56 pm
The term iatroepidemic describes a practice
introduced into medicine without sound scientific evidence to
establish its efficacy. Such practices result in systematic harm to
large numbers of patients. Bloodletting during the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries, tonsillectomies in the 1950s, and the practice
of psychosurgery have been identified as practices with little
therapeutic value that actually harmed many patients. Can you think
of other examples of iatroepidemics? When systematic medical error
imposes costs on individuals, whom do we blame? Should individual
physicians be liable for injuries under these situations?
introduced into medicine without sound scientific evidence to
establish its efficacy. Such practices result in systematic harm to
large numbers of patients. Bloodletting during the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries, tonsillectomies in the 1950s, and the practice
of psychosurgery have been identified as practices with little
therapeutic value that actually harmed many patients. Can you think
of other examples of iatroepidemics? When systematic medical error
imposes costs on individuals, whom do we blame? Should individual
physicians be liable for injuries under these situations?