This is a re-write of a post I made as part of the conversation about Emilio Gonzales’s treatment at Wesley Smith’s Second Hand Smoke. I’m a family doctor because I have always seen the patient as part of the family and (ideally and sometimes not so ideally) the family as integral to the patient’s condition … Continue reading
The title is from a 2005 essay by Gilbert Meilaender in First Things. Not surprisingly, Dr. Meilaender speaks with much more clarity than I ever could in discussing the sort of dilemma that we face when considering the baby, Emilio Gonzales, and the treatment vs. the care he is to receive from his doctors, his … Continue reading
A reader, unfortunately, shows us the other extreme of the end of life debate. However, she missed the point entirely. Our discussion about the end of Emilio’s life is a debate about conscience, laws, and whether because doctors are licensed by the State, they abdicate their duty to act in the patient’s best interest. It … Continue reading
(EDIT, May 31, 2014: It has come to my attention that this post is referenced in a book on bioethics. If you have come from that book, remember that (although I’ve done my best to be accurate) this is a blog, not a peer-reviewed scientific article. Be sure and read all the comments at the … Continue reading
“All politics is local,” is a quote attributed to – and the title of a book co-authored by – the late, former Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill. The lesson seems to be one that Texas State Representative Juan Garcia, D-Corpus Christi, learned well. It doesn’t hurt to stack the deck in your favor, either. … Continue reading
British researchers have improved the site of patients with a congenital defect, using stem cells that appear to recruit their own stem cells from the bone marrow. From The Argus news report: Four patients have so far received the treatment successfully in one eye and reported an improvement in their comfort and vision, and now … Continue reading
>British researchers have improved the site of patients with a congenital defect, using stem cells that appear to recruit their own stem cells from the bone marrow. From The Argus news report: Four patients have so far received the treatment successfully in one eye and reported an improvement in their comfort and vision, and now … Continue reading
Today, the Texas House State Affairs Committee heard from a young man who was born with sickle cell disease. Young Joseph, Jr. told the Representatives that his baby brother saved his life. And now, he doesn’t have to take medicine or get shots any more. (The oblivious hero slept through the hearing.) And of course, … Continue reading
Researchers at The University of Michigan have proven that mesenchymal stem cells are present in the lungs, and that these cells have transplanted along with the rest of the lung. In the past, it was believed that the mesenchymal stem cells ( a versatile group of stem cells – see the information in the quote … Continue reading
>Researchers at The University of Michigan have proven that mesenchymal stem cells are present in the lungs, and that these cells have transplanted along with the rest of the lung. In the past, it was believed that the mesenchymal stem cells ( a versatile group of stem cells – see the information in the quote … Continue reading