http://www.redflagsweekly.com/scream/2002_july01.html

July 1, 2002

CORRUPTING MEDICAL STUDENTS

By Nicholas Regush

The Wall Street Journal ran a story on June 25 that showed how groups of medical students were organizing to fight off drug pushers  (drug company representatives) in their midst. These students had decided that they were no longer keen on getting free lunch, pens, notepads and other goodies that were dispensed by the pushers.

Good for them. Hope it lasts. It probably won’t as they go through various rites and rituals of becoming doctors. The pressures will be too tough to bear ( Ah come on, what’s a sandwich or a beer or a trip to Tahiti?)

Here’s what drives me nuts: Every time something like this comes up - some sense of rebellion by the target group, in this case, raw, naive, tender medical students, or criticism from the likes of me and my pals (sometimes I wonder where they are) - the drug industry people get all huffy and puffy. And they usually say something like this, and I now quote from the WSJ piece:

It is an insult to assume new young doctors don’t have the ability to exercise independent judgement about the information disseminated at the lectures.

The person who is being quoted here is Jeff Trewhitt, a "spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the industry’s main Washington trade group."

How interesting to hear something like this again and again from the industry. This time Trewhitt, next time Wingnut. This is the exact same mantra the drug pushers have been repeating for years.

In fact, that is the same mantra that many doctors repeat - even after they have been caught in an obvious conflict of interest.

You see, doctors, unlike humans, can control every emotion they live with and never can be influenced to do anything.

The drug pushers have taught them very well indeed.