No More Catalogs in the Mail
Mackinac Bridge
Mackinac Bridge, from St. Ignace, Upper Peninsula
Tahquamenon Falls State Park
Lower Falls, Tahquamenon River
Pictured Rocks - East
12 Mile Beach
Pictured Rocks - West
Miner's Beach
The Pressure Mounts
This action is in response to a letter from the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) regarding the resolution passed by the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) in March. This resolution "strongly encourage(d) the replacement of animal laboratories with non-animal alternatives in undergraduate medical education." SLU has now eliminated the use of pigs in their M2 cardiovascular physiology module.
SLU's move forward in medical education marks the tenth medical school to stop live animal use since 2006, leaving only 11 allopathic medical schools in the US still using live animals in their curricula.
The Beautiful UP
Sunrise over South Manistique Lake. This is the view from our campsite.
Miner's Castle in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Miner's Beach in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Breathe Free Wisconsin
Momentum is building for Wisconsin to join more than 20 states that have enacted such bans. Two of our neighboring states, Minnesota and Illinois, recently passed laws that will enact statewide bans within a year.
Contact the members of the Senate Committee on Public Health and ask them to support SB 150, and to pass it out of committee.
A Good Start
The Farm Bill focuses on agricultural policy and tax provisions, and is debated on Capitol Hill every 5 years. Elected officials can add on amendments to the Bill, which are voted on independently. The Israel-Doyle Amendment is named after the two democrat representatives who introduced it - Steve Israel and Mike Doyle, from New York and Pennsylvania, respectively. This amendment seeks to prohibit the use of random source (Class B) animals like dogs and cats in medical research and education, as well as in sales demonstrations for medical equipment.
Animals of all sorts are used routinely in medical research, and have helped to advance our scientific knowledge to where it is today. There are very strict guidelines as to how an animal can be obtained, used, and treated. Because of these ethical standards that all scientists must adhere to, the cost of using animals is very high, often prohibitively so.
One way around this problem is to use random source instead of purpose-bred animals. What's the difference? Purpose-bred animals are bred with the sole intention of being used in an experiment, and from birth to death are treated very humanely. Their entire existence and how they are treated is monitored closely by various agencies. The origin of random source animals is often suspicious. Class B, or random source dealers can legally obtain animals from shelters that will euthanize the animal, or from an individual who bred the animal on their property. These dealers, who fortunately are being forced to extinction, often get their animals from sources other than shelters. While they must be licensed by the USDA, most do not follow the rules very well. There are cited cases of dogs obtained from flea markets, "free to good home" advertisements, and even stolen out of their owner's yards. Class B dealers turn around and sell these animals to research institutions at a much reduced cost, as compared to purpose-bred animals.
There is finally some light at the end of the tunnel. With the Israel-Doyle Amendment passing the House recently, it should be voted on in the Senate soon. Please, contact your Senators and let them know how you feel about the Amendment. The very best thing you can do is to call and also send an email. It only takes a few minutes to call, but it can really make an impact on your Senator votes.
Yes! It is worth it
I give a regular talk to 3rd year students on picking a career in medicine. Each time I give this talk I stress the importance of picking a specialty which you will love. Many students pick a specialty which is trendy, especially one which their colleagues think provides “good lifestyle and high income.” If one does that, he/she often makes a big mistake.
Those of us who are fanatics cannot imagine any other career. I know many physicians who feel this way. At age 58, I still regularly get excited discussing a patient situation, making a diagnosis, and helping a patient through conversation.
When I awaken each morning and look in the mirror, I see someone who wants to help.
Many students start medical school with that attitude. Unfortunately, we (medical school faculty) turn eager incoming 1st year students into jaded 2nd year students. I often have stated that 2nd year students are the most undesirable students to teach. But then the 3rd year comes and most students have their joy rekindled. 3rd year students should learn the humbling power of the white coat.
"Is it Worth It?"
I wouldn’t presume to imply that you haven’t given your decision to apply to medical school a lot of thought. Of course you have. The application process alone will weed out anybody who is not completely serious. Still, you may have some lingering doubts and if you do, it is better to hash them out now than when it is too late and you are so deeply into it that to withdraw will mean an unacceptable loss of your considerable investment in time and money.
The first thing you need to do is to cool your jets. Medicine is a good career but it’s just a job. I’m sure you will meet some zealots who seemingly breathe, eat, and live medicine but for the most part, by the time you get into residency you will find that most of your colleagues want pretty much what other working people want, namely a useful job with good pay and decent hours. In this regard, maybe the years of working long hours for little of no pay like you’re going to do in medical school and residency beats the idealism out of people but I prefer to think it teaches them the difference between professionalism and fanaticism. Naturally you have to pretend to be driven to get into medical school as showing passion is a de facto requirement. Your real reasons for wanting to be a physician, while perfectly legitmate, would sound trite and self-serving if you even dared breathe them aloud. Just between me and you I didn’t want to save the world either and just applied to medical school because I thought being a doctor would be kind of cool.
Big Number 5
March 1st was Kaiser's 5th birthday. Of course she had a party, complete with gifts and cupcakes.
Engaged!
Wintertime
It finally snowed again! Hopefully this time the snow will stick around for more than a week.
It's Great... To Be... A Florida Gator!
Christmas Week
It was a busy week! Mom & Dad flew in for Christmas and got to see Milwaukee, unfortunately snowless aside from the occasional flurry. Amber cooked an amazing Christmas dinner and Mom made meat pies and cookie dough things. We also got to see Barb, Gerry and Dev, which was a lot of fun. Now, it's back to the real world.