Perspectives in biology and medicine
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Perspect. Biol. Med. · Jan 2007
What many transgender activists don't want you to know: and why you should know it anyway.
Currently the predominant cultural understanding of male-to-female transsexualism is that all male-to-female (MtF) transsexuals are, essentially, women trapped in men's bodies. This understanding has little scientific basis, however, and is inconsistent with clinical observations. ⋯ The other subtype, autogynephilic transsexuals, are motivated by the erotic desire to become women. The persistence of the predominant cultural understanding, while explicable, is damaging to science and to many transsexuals.
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Perspect. Biol. Med. · Jan 2007
Ghost marketing: pharmaceutical companies and ghostwritten journal articles.
The use of ghostwriters by industry is subject to increasing public attention and scrutiny. This article addresses the practice and ethics of scientific ghostwriting. ⋯ We argue that this practice is harmful both to the public and to the institutions of science and that it is not justified by an analogy to accepted scientific authorship practices. Finally, we consider ways to discourage the practice.
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Perspect. Biol. Med. · Jan 2006
Historical ArticleDietary treatment of diabetes mellitus in the pre-insulin era (1914-1922).
Before the discovery of insulin, one of the most common dietary treatments of diabetes mellitus was a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet. A review of Frederick M. Allen's case histories shows that a 70% fat, 8% carbohydrate diet could eliminate glycosuria among hospitalized patients. A reconsideration of the role of the high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet for the treatment of diabetes mellitus is in order.
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Perspect. Biol. Med. · Jan 2006
Historical ArticleBeyond the physician charter: reflections on medical professionalism.
The numerous challenges now facing the profession of medicine have led to an intense focus on professionalism by individual physicians and by their professional and academic organizations. In 2002, a distinguished group of leaders in internal medicine created the Physician Charter, which calls on physicians to reaffirm medical professionalism through commitment to three principles and 10 responsibilities. ⋯ The authors argue that medical professionalism should reflect the values of a virtue-based ethic that stresses compassion and beneficence, rather than the values of a duty-based ethic. The challenges that now confront the practice of medicine can be addressed successfully only to the extent that physicians promote virtue-ethics, act collectively in the public interest, and render service that clearly transcends their own self-interests.
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Iraqi detainees subjected to torture and mistreatment at Abu Ghraib prison may continue to suffer from significant physical and psychological consequences of their abuse. This article reports two cases of Iraqi individuals allegedly tortured at Abu Ghraib. ⋯ Furthermore, these cases support assertions that abuse of prisoners was not limited to being perpetrated by guards, but also occurred systematically in the context of interrogations. These cases also raise concerns about inadequate medical care for Iraqi detainees.