Primum Non Nocere

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Friday November 11, 2005 · 9:10 AM PST

2005/11/11 · 09:10

For those who don't know Latin, this phrase has been variously translated as either: "First, do no harm" or "Above all else, do no harm." It is ingrained into every medical student's brain within a few months of beginning school, and is one of the guiding principles of medical practice.

While popularly thought to be part of the Hippocratic Oath, in truth, such an expression appears nowhere in this oath or in any of the various modern revisions taken by medical students across the country. The origins of the phrase still remain shrouded in mystery, some attribute it to the famous Roman physician Galen (though he, like Hippocrates also wrote in Greek), and a similar phrase appears in the Hippocratic corpus, "As to diseases, make a habit of two things-- to help, or at least to do no harm" (Epidemics, Book I, Section XI) Read More

A pox on the Nation? No, try a CANCER.

viget

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Thursday June 02, 2005 · 10:02 AM PDT

2005/06/02 · 10:02

So this is almost entirely based on a comment in the "it's all converging together" thread, and an insight I had yesterday after talking to a post-doc in my lab about a seminar I missed by the noted cancer researcher Craig Thompson from UPenn.

Thompson and others have been influential in promoting the "it's all about the economy, stupid" theory of cancer cell survival, namely that in order to divide, a cell needs to first double its mass, and that takes ENERGY and raw materials. Lots of 'em. And isn't it intersting that instead of focusing on the efficient pathways that all normal cells use for energy extraction, cancer cells instead focus on short-term, easily extracted gains to fuel their massive expansion. Sound familiar?

More below the fold... Read More

The Wingnuts just don't get reality

viget

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Monday November 01, 2004 · 8:55 AM PST

2004/11/01 · 08:55

Ok, so some of you may have seen my previous diary where I published my letter to my winger friend who's a non-citizen and volunteering for the BC '04 reelection down in Florida as a lawyer and a Bosox fan. Basically it was an impassioned plea to stop working for BC. Here's a recent response I got in reply to my pointing out Kerry will win based on the Redskins effect.

that's the strongest argument you've ever made. of course, since the
red sox broke all curses with their derring-do, it also is unconvincing.

My response below the fold.... Read More

My Impassioned Plea to Conservative lawyer friend working for BC '04

viget

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Saturday October 23, 2004 · 1:33 PM PDT

2004/10/23 · 13:33

Below is an email (with names removed) that I sent my friend fresh-out-of clerking for a 5th Circuit of Appeals judge who is now working for BC '04 in Florida (he's a lawyer). I'm appealing to our friendship, he's notoriously stubborn but he has listened to me on other issues before. I should also say that he and I used to see eye-to-eye in politics, but I've since changed given the disaster the current administration has been. Warning: it is a bit long. Read More

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