Virtual Mentor. November 2005, Volume 7, Number 11.

November 2005 Contents

Ethical Issues in Endocrinology

Ethics Poll

Should hormone-based, performance-enhancing drugs be banned—without exception—from sport?
Yes
No

Do you think obesity should be defined and described for the public as a medical disease?
Yes
No

Human growth hormone can now be synthesized in the lab and supplied to satisfy demand, though at considerable cost. Therefore, it should be prescribed (choose one of the following options):
And covered by insurance for treatment of medical disorders only, eg, growth hormone deficiency, Turner's syndrome, renal insufficiency.
And covered by insurance for those who are shorter than 99 percent of the population, even if they have no medical diagnosis.
But not covered by insurance for those who are shorter than 99 percent of the population.
For those of any height who want it and can pay for it themselves.

From the Editor

The Complexities of Everyday Illness
Kelly A. Carroll
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Educating for Professionalism

Clinical Cases

Controlling Diabetes
Commentary by Robert P. Hoffman
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Treating Short Stature with Growth Hormone
Commentary by Melissa D. Colsman, David E. Sandberg, David B. Allen and Wilma C. Rossi
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Partial Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome
Commentary by William G. Reiner, David A. Diamond, Tammy Camp and Surendra K. Varma
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Journal Discussion

In the Left Corner: The Starving Endocrinologist
Christina Fradelos
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Clinical Pearl

After the Women's Health Initiative--Menopausal Women and Hormone Therapy
JoAnn V. Pinkerton
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Law, Policy, and Society

Health Law

The Importance of Standard of Care and Documentation
Allison Grady
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Policy Forum

Implications of Viewing Obesity as a Disease
Joylene John-Sowa
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Op-Ed and Correspondence

Op-Ed

Medical Ethics and Performance-Enhancing Drugs
Carlos R. Hamilton
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Steroid Hysteria: Unpacking the Claims
Norman Fost
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