Bad medicine analogy. (Heart attack and aspirin.).

[Greg Nowell]

Without getting into the economics specifics, let me
discourage all of you from thinking that aspirin is a
trivial heart attack palliative.   If you or someone
you know should have a heart attack, the first thing
you should do is administer some aspirin.  It might be
the single best thing that you can do.  Then get to the
damn hospital.  The anti-clotting properties of aspirin
are not only a good prophylactic against heart attacks,
they are good near-term treatment.  "Take two aspirin
and call me in thhe morning" with regard to a heart
attack would be excellent heart attack advice if, for
example, you were stuck up on a mountain and couldn't
get to help sooner.  -gn.

You got it Bill!!.  When a patient is having a heart
attack and calls a
doctor, the reponse of  "take two aspirins and see me
in the morning" is
not practicing good medicine.

If the problem is not serious-- then aspirin might help
-- but people
including Eichengreen , Tobin and Wyplos (see EJ 1995)
-- are stating that
their brand of aspirin will prevent heart attacks --
and therefore no
cardiac intensive care unit is needed.
--
Gregory P. Nowell
Associate Professor
Department of Political Science, Milne 100
State University of New York
135 Western Ave.
Albany, New York 12222

Fax 518-442-5298