In A.D. 166, a smallpox epidemic struck Rome. Galen, who had already acquired a reputation for his dissections, fled the city. In 1382, Venice passed a law forbidding physicians to flee in times of plague, and other European cities followed suit. When the plague hit London in 1665, many of the city's physicians - the great Thomas Sydenham included - abandoned their patients to escape the outbreak. In 2003, there were nurses and physicians who refused to care for SARS-infected patients.Technorati Tags: Avian Flu, Avian Influenza, Medical Ethics
Whether wise or cowardly, all these health care workers were aware of a simple fact: Those treating patients are often among the first victims of virulent epidemics. In 2005, with the impending arrival of bird flu on our shores, the question arises: Do health care professionals have a duty to treat bird flu patients?
I'm Dr. Joshua Schwimmer, a nephrologist in New York City. • Kidney Notes was the first active nephrology blog, and The National Library of Medicine still uses Kidney Notes as an example of how to formally cite blogs in the medical literature. • Professionally, you can find me at Kidney.nyc. • Kidney Notes is for educational purposes only, not medical advice. Consult qualified health care professionals. See disclaimer.
Friday, October 21, 2005
Do Health Care Professionals Have A Duty To Treat Bird Flu Patients?
From the International Herald Tribune: