Virtual Mentor. June 2007, Volume 9, Number 6: 405-469. Full Issue PDF

June 2007 Contents

Goals of Medicine

Ethics Poll

Suppose there is a drug that improves memory and is covered by insurance for patients with Alzheimer's disease. If this medication is found to improve memory in the general population:
physicians should not be permitted to prescribe the drug for individuals who do not have Alzheimer's.
physicians should be permitted to prescribe the drug for individuals who do not have Alzheimer's but want to improve their memories and are willing to pay for the drug themselves.
insurance companies should pay for the prescriptions of patients who do not have Alzheimer's but want to improve their memories.

Parents should be permitted to use medical technology to choose the sex of their child prior to embryo implantation:
never
only in cases where there is a sex-linked disease
only for family balancing
in cases of sex-linked disease or desire for family balancing
for any reason

Many people who need an organ transplant cannot afford the life-long costs of immunosuppressant medications following the surgery. The government should pay for these medications, just as it does for dialysis.
Agree
Disagree
Don't know

View results

From the Editor

What We Talk about When We Talk about Goals
Emily E. Anderson
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:407-409.

Educating for Professionalism

Clinical Cases

Cosmetic Surgery: When Fifty Doesn't Feel Fabulous
Commentary by Julie D. Cantor
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:410-413.

Negotiating Parental Requests for Medication
Commentary by Elizabeth Kieff
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:414-417.

Sex Selection for Nonmedical Reasons
Commentary by Louise P. King
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:418-422.

Journal Discussion

Cosmetic Psychopharmacology and the Goals of Medicine
Erica K. Rangel
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:428-432.

Medical Education

The Role of Empathy in Medicine: A Medical Student's Perspective
Elliot M. Hirsch
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:423-427.

Clinical Pearl

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Childhood; Overview, Diagnosis and Treatment
Sarah Maitre
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:433-436.

Law, Policy, and Society

Health Law

Effects of Malpractice Law on the Practice of Medicine
Lee Black
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:437-440.

Policy Forum

Beyond Scarcity: Poverty as a Contraindication for Organ Transplantation
Mary Simmerling
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:441-445.

Medicine and Society

End-of-Life Care and the Goals of Medicine
Bruce Jennings
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:446-450.

Achieving a Shared View of Treatment Goals
Kenneth A. Richman
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:451-454.

History, Art, and Narrative

Medical Humanities

Saint Anthony's Fire and AIDS: Two Altarpieces and the Oft-Forgotten Goals of Medicine
Barbara A. Hinze
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:455-459.

Resources

Suggested Readings and Resources
PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:460-467.

About the Contributors
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:468-469.