Article March 12, 1990 Issue

Second Thought

Looking again at news and commentary

John F. Burnum—November 5, 1987

The New England Journal of Medicine,

"... Diseases of fashion exert a strong influence on medical practice—on what we and the public think about disease and what is treated. These are conditions that epidemically gain the medical limelight and in their time receive an inordinate amount of media and public attention.

"Please note that in no way am I making fun of patients' fears or the gravity of some of these disorders. What I am saying is that we are predisposed to diagnose, and our patients to worry about, the diseases that are in the news, popularized, and impressed on our minds. As an accompanying phenomenon, entrepreneurial specialists in and clinics for the various bandwagon diseases often spring up to capitalize on medical chic .... Cousins to diseases of fashion are media-sown disease panics.

"... In the areas of nutrition and physical fitness, fashion and fads run amok and almost completely dictate medical care.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Article
FROM THE Directors
March 12, 1990
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit