Having a book called "Contemporary Debates in Applied Ethics" as my bedtime reading.
Yes, it sounds dull. I bought this 350-page text some years ago from the Eslite Bookstore (誠品書店) of Taiwan, but did not have the courage to thumb through it until very recently.
Most of my friends know just too well I have little interest in discussions of this kind. To my surprise, the book turns out to be highly interesting. (A substantial portion of the topics are somehow related to medicine, but that's beyond the point.) This is, I must admit, the first time I read serious logical arguments for and against stem cell research, euthanasia, free immigration, privacy ordinance, and so forth.
You may wonder why I bought this book in the first place. The truth is rather a nuisance: I find this paper-back volume lying next to a copy of the original English translation of Franz Kafka's The Castle - which was what I looked for.
PS. By original English translation I mean the text has not been edited by Max Brod or others before it is converted into English. The part-time insurance officer is famous for writing stories of obscure meaning, but much of the difficulties in interpretation roots from his friends and followers who try to explain what the Czech novelist was trying to say.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
Bailout
What could be achieved with the US$850 billion bailout package ?
For sure that's not enough to take away all the questionable loans from the market. We know very well the arrangement is meant to stabilize the system, rather than solving the whole problem all at once.
Nonetheless I feel that the World Police would be forced to cut down the number of her people in Iraq. You know what: the "operation" costs around US$750 million each day. In three years, the federal government could save the money back. (Unless the new president is a keen follower of John Keynes and believe that overseas military action would stimulate local industry and economy.)
Oh, don't try to imagine we would have a peaceful world tomorrow. With a government highly in debt, Uncle Sam is more eager than ever to sell weapons to other places ...
... not to say creating a need of those weapons in some countries.
Formosa ? US$6.2 billion ? What else could be a more profitable industrial export ?
For sure that's not enough to take away all the questionable loans from the market. We know very well the arrangement is meant to stabilize the system, rather than solving the whole problem all at once.
Nonetheless I feel that the World Police would be forced to cut down the number of her people in Iraq. You know what: the "operation" costs around US$750 million each day. In three years, the federal government could save the money back. (Unless the new president is a keen follower of John Keynes and believe that overseas military action would stimulate local industry and economy.)
Oh, don't try to imagine we would have a peaceful world tomorrow. With a government highly in debt, Uncle Sam is more eager than ever to sell weapons to other places ...
... not to say creating a need of those weapons in some countries.
Formosa ? US$6.2 billion ? What else could be a more profitable industrial export ?
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Trading
For those who are not familiar with our system, you may be puzzled why I felt sorry for our chairman.
The very fact is: although there was a good sum of donation and he got a fancy dressing on his title, the gastroenterologist was not the one who pocketed (most of) the money.
Who ? The economist, of course.
**********************
Oh, I just had an absence seizure.
A scene comes through my mind: 秦淮兩岸,六朝金粉. We see the fireworks and neon lights - but, behind the scene there hide the pimps.
The very fact is: although there was a good sum of donation and he got a fancy dressing on his title, the gastroenterologist was not the one who pocketed (most of) the money.
Who ? The economist, of course.
**********************
Oh, I just had an absence seizure.
A scene comes through my mind: 秦淮兩岸,六朝金粉. We see the fireworks and neon lights - but, behind the scene there hide the pimps.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Title
Receive an "invitation" to attend certain endowment lecture - to be given by our man in Pluto.
You may be puzzled: He had an inaugural lecture some years ago; what's the purpose of all these ?
That's simple: there is a sum of donation and the name of certain billionaire is attached to the professor title as a prefix. What's better than a lecture to publicly announce the benefactor's name ?
And what's better than involving medical students to ensure an adequate number of Homo sapiens sitting around ?
You see, the lecture is therefore not for the benefit of the audience, but the donor. Any successful dissemination of knowledge is a fortunate by-product. (This is, well, one step further than what I mentioned about writing our own textbook some days ago.)
And, with an elaborated prefix in his title, our professor is raised to the level of 文武大聖大廣孝皇帝 (the official name of Li Shimin [李世民]) and 合天弘運文武睿哲恭儉寬裕孝敬誠信中和功德大成仁皇帝 (the official name of Emperor Kangxi [康熙]).
For once I feel sorry for my chairman.
You may be puzzled: He had an inaugural lecture some years ago; what's the purpose of all these ?
That's simple: there is a sum of donation and the name of certain billionaire is attached to the professor title as a prefix. What's better than a lecture to publicly announce the benefactor's name ?
And what's better than involving medical students to ensure an adequate number of Homo sapiens sitting around ?
You see, the lecture is therefore not for the benefit of the audience, but the donor. Any successful dissemination of knowledge is a fortunate by-product. (This is, well, one step further than what I mentioned about writing our own textbook some days ago.)
And, with an elaborated prefix in his title, our professor is raised to the level of 文武大聖大廣孝皇帝 (the official name of Li Shimin [李世民]) and 合天弘運文武睿哲恭儉寬裕孝敬誠信中和功德大成仁皇帝 (the official name of Emperor Kangxi [康熙]).
For once I feel sorry for my chairman.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Hope
On a second thought, not all waiting is a waste.
We wait in vain if, and only if, there is nothing to hope for. In fact, many of the best hours in our life are the time that we are expecting something good to happen, not when that good thing is happening.
In the latter case, the stone falls down from the hill, and we King Sisyphus do not feel happy - we've got to search for something else to exert ourselves again.
As Count Monte Cristo said: All human wisdom is contained in these two words - Wait and Hope.
Yes. If we have to keep the others waiting, give them some hope.
PS. Again, once we eat the apple of wisdom, open our eyes and see through the nature of what we're waiting and hoping for, we have to leave Eden forever.
We wait in vain if, and only if, there is nothing to hope for. In fact, many of the best hours in our life are the time that we are expecting something good to happen, not when that good thing is happening.
In the latter case, the stone falls down from the hill, and we King Sisyphus do not feel happy - we've got to search for something else to exert ourselves again.
As Count Monte Cristo said: All human wisdom is contained in these two words - Wait and Hope.
Yes. If we have to keep the others waiting, give them some hope.
PS. Again, once we eat the apple of wisdom, open our eyes and see through the nature of what we're waiting and hoping for, we have to leave Eden forever.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Life
"How to prolong the life expectancy of this patient by one day ?" Some years ago I asked myself this very question.
My answer at that time was: If this patient has to waste one day of his life in the hospital and wait for nothing, get him discharged a day earlier - he could enjoy one additional day, probably in the prime of his life rather than an extra day for him when he is terminally ill with tubes and drips around.
And the number-needed-to-treat of this tactic is ONE - everyone would benefit.
Of course the scope could be broaden: If you could save the patient from waiting nothing for an hour (say, in the consultation room, pharmacy, or - for relatives - interview room), you are prolonging an equivalent duration of useful life expectancy.
PS. It is exactly for this reason I take it a serious crime to keep the others waiting. If you take the cumulative sum, more lives are ruined each day by unnecessary waiting than any disease, poison, or warfare.
My answer at that time was: If this patient has to waste one day of his life in the hospital and wait for nothing, get him discharged a day earlier - he could enjoy one additional day, probably in the prime of his life rather than an extra day for him when he is terminally ill with tubes and drips around.
And the number-needed-to-treat of this tactic is ONE - everyone would benefit.
Of course the scope could be broaden: If you could save the patient from waiting nothing for an hour (say, in the consultation room, pharmacy, or - for relatives - interview room), you are prolonging an equivalent duration of useful life expectancy.
PS. It is exactly for this reason I take it a serious crime to keep the others waiting. If you take the cumulative sum, more lives are ruined each day by unnecessary waiting than any disease, poison, or warfare.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Saved
"How many lives have you saved today?" someone asked.
My friend K was completely taken aback with this question.
Well, if you take it in the strict literal sense, there should hardly be any. As I often tell our younger colleagues, of all patients that we encounter, 60% will get better irrespective to what we do (or what we not do), 10% will get worse whatever we do, and 29.9% will improve with treatment that any doctor could offer; in other words, they do not have to see you.
It is therefore fortunate to see every year one that 0.1% type of case whose recovery is because of your exceptional skill - if there is any.
And even for that 29.9% type of case, you do not save their lives. At most you hasten the recovery (say, from an acute episode of some chronic disease) or alleviate the symptoms.
*****************************
On a second thought, however, I become less pessimistic.
Let me tell you how we save (or persuade ourselves to be saving) lives tomorrow.
My friend K was completely taken aback with this question.
Well, if you take it in the strict literal sense, there should hardly be any. As I often tell our younger colleagues, of all patients that we encounter, 60% will get better irrespective to what we do (or what we not do), 10% will get worse whatever we do, and 29.9% will improve with treatment that any doctor could offer; in other words, they do not have to see you.
It is therefore fortunate to see every year one that 0.1% type of case whose recovery is because of your exceptional skill - if there is any.
And even for that 29.9% type of case, you do not save their lives. At most you hasten the recovery (say, from an acute episode of some chronic disease) or alleviate the symptoms.
*****************************
On a second thought, however, I become less pessimistic.
Let me tell you how we save (or persuade ourselves to be saving) lives tomorrow.
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