Time to Heal : American Medical Education From the Turn of the Century to the Era of Managed Care

Relying mostly on modern genetic science, this book exposes how various forms of creationism-including intelligent design-fail to provide testable models for the appearance and evolution of life. On the contrary, science has been very successful in the description of the unguided processes that led to the creation of the universe and one of its consequences, the appearance of life forms, including humans.

Polls show that 45% of the American public believes that humans were created about 10,000 years ago and that evolution is a fictitious myth. Another 25% believes that changes in the natural world are directed by a supernatural being with a particular goal in mind. This thinking clashes head on with scientific findings from the past 150 years, and there is a dearth of public critical thinking about the natural world within a scientific framework.

Evolution and Religious Creation Myths seeks to educate and arm the public on the differences between myth and science, fiction and theory. The book begins with a whirlwind tour of creation stories from several religions. The authors then explore how certain forms of religious fundamentalism clash with the science of evolution. They review how creationists and intelligent design proponents misuse and misrepresent scientific terminology and conclusions to further their own agendas. How do scientists respond to this threat? Modern science, which includes a level of indeterminacy, or chance, cannot support the premise that a supernatural designer engineered nature for a particular purpose in a deterministic fashion. This holds true for the creation of the universe, the appearance of the first biological molecules, chemical evolution, and the evolution of life forms through mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift. Instead, human biological and cultural evolution is described within a genetic framework. Scientists use a barrage of genetic tests and DNA phylogenies to support the scientific basis for evolution. For anyone who has ever needed to argue why evolution and creationism are not both valid theories that deserve equal attention, this book clearly defines the difference between theory and myth. Scientists, teachers, and defenders of the truth should read this book in preparation for when they are called upon to respond.

Kenneth M. Ludmerer Describes The Evolution Of American Medical Education From 1910 - When A Muck-raking Report On Medical Diploma Mills Spurred The Reform And Expansion Of Medical Schools - To The Current Era Of Managed Care, When Commercial Interests Once More Have Come To The Fore, Compromising The Training Of The Nation's Future Doctors. Ludmerer Portrays The Experience Of Learning Medicine From The Perspective Of Students, House Officers, Faculty, Administrators, And Patients, And He Traces The Immense Impact On Academic Medical Centers Of Outside Factors Such As World War Ii, The National Institutes Of Health, Private Medical Insurance, And Medicare And Medicaid. Most Notably, The Book Explores The Very Real Threats To Medical Education In The Current Environment Of Managed Care, Viewing These Developments Not As A Catastrophe But As A Challenge To Make Many Long Overdue Changes In Medical Education And Medical Practice.--jacket. Creating The System -- The American Medical School Between The World Wars -- Undergraduate Medical Education -- The Rise Of Graduate Medical Education -- Teaching Hospitals -- Academic Medical Centers And The Public -- World War Ii And Medical Education -- The Ascendancy Of Research -- The Expansion Of Clinical Service -- The Maturation Of Graduate Medical Education -- The Forgotten Medical Student -- Medicare, Medicaid, And Medical Education -- Medical Education In An Era Of Protest And Civil Rights -- Academic Health Centers Under Stress: External Pressures -- Academic Health Centers Under Stress: Internal Dilemmas -- Internal Malaise -- Medical Education In An Era Of Cost Containment And Managed Care -- A Second Revolutionary Period. Kenneth M. Ludmerer. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 401-494) And Index. Already the recipient of extraordinary critical acclaim, this magisterial book provides a landmark account of American medical education in the twentieth century, concluding with a call for the reformation of a system currently handicapped by managed care and by narrow, self-centered professional interests. Kenneth M. Ludmerer describes the evolution of American medical education from 1910, when a muck-raking report on medical diploma mills spurred the reform and expansion of medical schools, to the current era of managed care, when commercial interests once more have come to the fore, compromising the training of the nation's future doctors. Ludmerer portrays the experience of learning medicine from the perspective of students, house officers, faculty, administrators, and patients, and he traces the immense impact on academic medical centers of outside factors such as World War II, the National Institutes of Health, private medical insurance, and Medicare and Medicaid. Most notably, the book explores the very real threats to medical education in the current environment of managed care, viewing these developments not as a catastrophe but as a challenge to make many long overdue changes in medical education and medical practice. Panoramic in scope, meticulously researched, brilliantly argued, and engagingly written, Time to Heal is both a stunning work of scholarship and a courageous critique of modern medical education. The definitive book on the subject, it provides an indispensable framework for making informed choices about the future of medical education and health care in America. Evolution and Religious Creation Myths seeks to educate and arm the public on the differences between myth and science, fiction and theory. The book begins with a whirlwind tour of creation stories from several religions. The authors then explore how certain forms of religious fundamentalism clash with the science of evolution. They review how creationists and intelligent design proponents misuse and misrepresent scientific terminology and conclusions to further their own agendas. How do scientists respond to this threat? Modern science, which includes a level of indeterminacy, or chance, cannot support the premise that a supernatural designer engineered nature for a particular purpose in a deterministic fashion. This holds true for the creation of the universe, the appearance of the first biological molecules, chemical evolution, and the evolution of life forms through mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift. Instead, human biological and cultural evolution is described within a genetic framework. Scientists use a barrage of genetic tests and DNA phylogenies to support the scientific basis for evolution. For anyone who has ever needed to argue why evolution and creationism are not both valid theories that deserve equal attention, this book clearly defines the difference between theory and myth. - Publisher A leading authority in the history of medicine provides an insightful look at medical education in America since 1910, warning of the negative impact of managed care on medical schools and the practice of medicine. 10 line illustrations. Intelligent design (ID) and older style creationism argue that evolution by natural selection is an incorrect theory. This book demonstrates that in doing so, ID and creationism misinterpret the meaning of scientific theories ONE COULD SCARCELY BLAME American medical educators in the 1920s if they appeared smug.