This idea finds modern expression in the notion that the body plan is encoded in our DNA. But the more we come to understand how cells produce shape and form, the more inadequate the idea of a genomic blueprint looks, too. What cells follow is not a blueprint; if they ...
Once a value system has become very powerful, then it can stay that way for many decades by suppressing the competition. Canada's healthcare system is built on a solid bedrock of values which are not changing. However, values can progress or regress. Slavery came to an end because of changing ...
I have read the Sunday New York Times for the last 40 years for big ideas. The last few months have been somewhat lacking. But today, the New York Times delivered an immensely important big idea: an essay on longtermism by William MacAskill, a professor of philosophy at Oxford University. To ...
It is becoming tiresome to continue to listen to the outcry about our healthcare crisis. Yes, we all know about the crisis and some level of anger at the various levels of government seems almost justified. Yes, our healthcare system is broken. Broken. Broken. Broken. But what is missing is ...
Eight Canadians have filed a Charter challenge against the Government of Canada and the Minister of Health regarding patient access to psilocybin and psilocybin therapy. The plaintiffs, which include seven patients and one health-care practitioner, are arguing that the current modes of accessing psilocybin are insufficient and a violation of ...
Sarah's sister in law went to an Ontario ER with abdominal pains about 7 weeks ago. The CT showed spots of cancer in her liver. For the next 7 weeks, nothing happened. No in depth investigations. Pathology was delayed. No definitive diagnosis. No treatment. Nothing. Then she died. This family ...
The pandemic highlighted a problem that has been plaguing Canada’s healthcare system for years: a serious lack of hospital beds. A 2021 study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) comparing hospital bed availability in 37 developed countries ranked Canada near the bottom of the pack, with an average 2.5 ...
The editorial page in a leading newspaper stated today that private healthcare services won't work. They state that we do not have enough doctors and nurses. What they are missing is the need for more capacity. That is the key to productivity and outcomes. Let's take the case of an ...
Canadians are delusional captives to a broken health care system. We cling to the status quo with grim complacency, comforting ourselves with the notion that it could be worse. We could wait 18 hours in a hospital emergency room and then be charged for seeing the on-call resident. We could ...
Betsy is 27 years of age. She is bright, articulate and social. However, for some reason she developed an aversion to food. She lost 20 pounds over 2 months. She ate very little, if any food. The family was concerned and called RCM Health for assistance. Her condition ...