A great book in which Dr. Sally Satel takes on many areas of medicine where emotions and politics have directed action, money or awareness in an artificial way. It has been years since I read this book but a few specifics have stayed with me.

In the chapter regarding psychiatric problems, she illustrates the detriment so-called advocates of the mentally ill have done to their intended "target." A popular theme in the late eighties was President Regan turned out all the insane asylums, heartlessly ejecting the defenseless to the mean and cold streets. While there may be some truth to effects of decreased government assistance to the behaviorally ill population, there is a more sinister side - one which was intended to actually be beneficial to these patients. Through advocacy, court actions, and laws, these Mental Health advocates fought against mandatory medication and made involuntary hospitalization and long-term care harder for the public health officials to enforce. Sure, it is emotionally stressful to see "zombies" stumbling around an institution, but to wholesale release a great majority of these vulnerable teens and adults to "fend for themselves" to give them a sense of freedom and independence, actually harms many in the long run.

Likewise, another cash-cow, uh um, I mean critical need for research money is breast cancer. Yes, it is real and harmful and claims many women (and some men), yet Dr. Satel uses statistics to prove more men die and perish sooner to the ravages of prostate cancer. OK, we aren't the gender to see the doctor more than once or twice a decade, and don't make a big push to "raise awareness."

In PC, M.D., Dr. Satel covers so many more aspects of medicine, its falsehoods which garner gobs of government money and media attention focused on, albeit devastating conditions, but it draws awareness away from other more virulent problems but carry less emotional heartstrings tugging. ( )