Physicians as Killers

Family Practice News ^ | August 1, 2007 | JAMSHID A. MARVASTI, M.D.

[bigjackattack]

DR. MARVASTI is an adult and child psychiatrist in Manchester, Conn. He is the author of “Psycho-Political Aspects of Suicide Bombers, Terrorism, and Martyrdom: A Critical View From ‘Both Sides’ in Regard to Cause and Cure” (Springfield, Ill.; Charles C. Thomas Publisher Ltd., in press).

The failed car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow have startled many. One of the biggest surprises is that the alleged would-be terrorists are physicians or medical students–people who take an oath to save lives. But throughout human history, those in our profession have been involved in revolutions, “freedom fighting,” and human atrocities.

Not long ago, a small number of American physicians and nurses were involved in not treating black patients with syphilis (the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male, 1932-1972) to witness/explore the end states of this killer disease. Che Guevara, the Marxist revolutionary, was a physician. George Habash, a pediatrician, led a Palestinian militant group, and Ayman al-Zawahiri–the No. 2 Al Qaeda leader–is a surgeon. And we all know the horrendous role that physicians played in Nazi Germany.

We find ourselves asking: What happened to the dictum: First, do no harm? Looking at the question in context might spark a deeper understanding of these bomber/warriors.

Physicians are part of their communities, and may not be detached from the trends and opinions of their cultures. In the 1800s, some physicians–like their fellow citizens–believed slavery to be a legitimate and necessary enterprise.

It is widely reported that more than 600,000 Iraqi civilians have died since the U.S.-led invasion–one that promised to bring prosperity and security to the region. Many living in the Middle East, rightly or wrongly, blame the West for this tragedy. Mirroring their communities, a small number of doctors advocate or justify violence as a reaction to perceived injustices.

Excerpt continues: http://www.familypracticenews.com/article/PIIS0300707307709179/fulltext

[Darksheare]

“It is widely reported that more than 600,000 Iraqi civilians have died since the U.S.-led invasion–one that promised to bring prosperity and security to the region.”

Really?
Where’s the proof?
WHO shows that number?
Associated Press?
Agence Free Press?
Dan Rather?

[bigjackattack]

I posted this because this is the kind of crap that is getting published in what amounts to a mainstream US publication, I especially found the comparison of the bombing of Japan during WW2 to terrorism offensive, I posted it with a link to current culture because an increasing number of foreign docs are coming from muslim countries, it seemed relevant given fact.