In the Defense of Medicine

I have spent a lot of energy being angry over the past few months — however, I have progressed to spending more days feeling burned out and defeated than I would like to admit. Baring witness, over and over to the gaslighting against science and medicine has led to literal mental exhaustion. Though frustrated, I can see that I am not alone — as many have read, earlier this month in an unprecedented move the New England Journal of Medicine published an editorial speaking against the current climate of science naysaying, unequivocally stating that the pandemic has been mishandled and unnecessarily tragic. Cochrane, a well respected reviewer of best practices, is partnering with other organizations to launch “World Evidence-Based Healthcare Day” on October 20th. Other top scientific publications such as Nature, Lancet and The Scientific American, broke their apolitical rule and publicly endorsed Joe Biden for president. As an emergency physician, I am in full agreement and support of scientists and experts “speaking up”. While science should generally “stick to the facts” and remain impartial, this is difficult to do when political spin endangers public health and safety.