Did the triumph of publishing the human genome eclipse the bitter struggle between two rival scientific teams? In his featured column, THIS WEEK, Dr. Gerald Weissmann suggests that privately funded science has been driving progress since Diderot, and the genome is no exception. [praxis.md/post/thisweek/022101] But in the race to publish scientific discoveries, who really wins? Don’t bet on the media consumer, writes Praxis Post Editor in Chief Ivan Oransky, MD, in his column on medicine in the media, THE SPIN DOCTOR. [praxis.md/post/spindoc/022101] Also in this issue, a resounding note of support from an expert on religion and health for the controversial Bush administration plan to spend billions on faith-based initiatives. Critics say the plan is a clear violation of the boundary between church and state, but Duke University’s Harold Koenig, MD, suggests that encouraging faith-based health initiatives can solve some of Medicare’s financial woes. [praxis.md/post/shorttake/022101]
IN PERSON: Should sick people be put in jail for smoking medicinal marijuana? The story of how a California doctor’s experience being spied on by police spurred her to become an activist and advocate. [praxis.md/post/inperson/022101]
THE APPRENTICE: What do you say when the patient wants to die? First-year medical student Adam Gorra confronts a painful issue. [praxis.md/post/apprentice/022101]
THE HOBBYIST–WOODWORKING: Weekend woodworker wannabes take heart: cardiologist Norman Krasnow, MD, gives advice on building a workbench. [praxis.md/post/hobbyist/022101]
REVIEWS: Must women still choose between sympathy or science? A medical historian reviews a book on women in medicine. [praxis.md/post/reviews/022101]
RANDOM SAMPLE: Need relief from hysteria? Try Minneapolis’ Museum of Questionable Medical Devices. You’ll leave laughing. [praxis.md/post/random/022101]
WILLIAMS’ CORNER: Imagination leaps into the unknown as the prospect of a diagnosis creates a peculiar dread in Ted Kooser’s poem, “The Urine Specimen.” [praxis.md/post/williamscorner/022101]
Praxis Post features medical news, views and analysis, journal scans, practice trends, regular columns, culture, literature, humor, and more. Praxis Post is available free to readers interested in medicine and science. Its medical news digest is written by the Praxis Post News Bureau and is published daily. Features change weekly
