Denialism

Author: MarkH

  • Why male circumcision and female genital mutilation are not morally equivalent

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    MarkH
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    NB: Believe it or not, I actually had to close comments, the first time I’ve ever had to do it. They had become so offensive without any useful content that it’s no longer worthwhile to keep it going. Sorry. I have repeatedly vowed to stay away from this topic, but in defense of my colleague,…

  • Does alternative medicine have alternative ethics?

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    MarkH
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    We’ve talked quite a bit about ethics in this space, especially medical ethics and “blog ethics”. Today, though, we will specifically examine the nature of medical ethics as they apply to so-called alternative medicine. First, and perhaps most important, I am not an ethicist. I do not have the depth of reading, the knowledge of…

  • Personalities, honor, and such

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    MarkH
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    Let me start by saying that there is no “right” as such to anything on the internet. There is no blog law that allows for anonymity, etc. All we have are our evolving ethics, about which I recently wrote. As the ongoing dispute over anonymity continues (and continues to make me uncomfortable, but not in…

  • Back into the storm—the pseudonymity lab

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    MarkH
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    When we get to ScienceOnline09 in January, Abel and I will be leading a session on blogging and anonymity. I agreed to get involved because it sounded interesting, but I had no idea it would become such a big deal. There have been active discussions at many of the Sb blogs on this issue, particularly…

  • Stop the RFK Jr. appointment NOW

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    MarkH
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    I would beg everyone who reads the scienceblogs and cares about science to contact the transition team in the Obama administration as Orac has requested. It should be clear by now to readers of this blog that pseudoscience is not a problem of just the right. The left wing areas of pseudoscience are just as…

  • Migraines prevent breast cancer!!!!!!!

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    MarkH
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    When reporting on science, reporters and editors like sexy stories. Since most science isn’t particularly sexy, there’s usually a hook. If you can squeeze “risk” and “cancer” into a headline, an editor sees good headline. What I usually see is a sensationalist article that is going to get it very wrong. One of the questions…

  • Choosing a medical specialty

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    MarkH
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    It’s that time of year, 4th year medical students (like me – kind of) are choosing their future careers and starting to interview all over the country in their residency programs of choice. I’ve been notably quiet – subsumed in work, study and applications – but I am catching up on writing about the clerkships…

  • “Kennedy” is a name, not a qualification

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    MarkH
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    I can’t cover this topic better than Orac; he’s the expert. I would like to suggest that you go read his post. This is important. I voted for Obama. I believe that he is one of the brightest people we’ve every had the chance to vote for, and I think that after 8 years of…

  • Pediatrics

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    MarkH
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    I’ve been busy, as you might imagine, with work, study, and applying for medical residency. However, I thought it was about time to get people up to date with some of the clerkships I’ve finished in the meantime before letting you guys in on some of the decision-making processes involved in choosing a residency. So,…

  • How drunk is too drunk—another foray into medical ethics

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    MarkH
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    The best ethical questions are real ones. Sure, it’s fun to play the lifeboat game, but when you’re dealing with flesh and blood human beings on a daily basis, games aren’t all that helpful. So here’s a non-life-and-death question: if a patient comes to see you and smells of alcohol, can you add an alcohol…