Kate Scannell, MD

By Dr. Kate Scannell, Syndicated Columnist
First Published in Print: 05/10/2013

The news in the Cincinnati Enquirer sounded dreadful. Someone who'd been suffering from "pulmonary peritonitis" had "died suddenly of pleurisy of the brain." Equally distressing, the Chicago Record-Herald reported that a man, following six gunshots and defying anatomy, died from "shock and lumbar pneumonia."And sadly (or at least I think so), according to an Erie, Pa., newspaper, three surgeons opined that a man "would always be a sufferer from chromatic epilepsy."

These and other examples of "misinforming and even ludicrous" medical journalism were colorfully recounted fully 100 years ago in the April 19, 1913, edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Clearly, the physician-editorialist was annoyed by such careless health reporting. And when it came to inaccurate or misleading news that could actually harm people, he was outright incensed. He railed against "sensational newspaper articles concerning cancer and tuberculosis cures, some of which at least soon prove to be the rankest fakes."

It's always interesting -- although often unsettling -- to look back at physicians' critical writings about media coverage of science and public health. It's interesting partly because so many of those criticisms remain unchanged well beyond a century later. And it's often unsettling because ... well, so many of those criticisms remain unchanged over so long a time.  Read More 

By Dr. Kate Scannell, Syndictaed columnist
First Published in Print: 02/17/2013

Hips. We tend not to think much about them -- until they hurt or need replacement -- even as they support our ability to walk, climb stairs, sit and dance.

With the exception of Lucille Clifton's celebratory poem, "Homage to My Hips," poetic works have largely ignored these workhorse joints in favor of hands, backs, necks -- even ankles. Hips rarely qualify as subjects of serious literary concern. In fact, entering "hip" into Amazon's book search window mostly delivers stories about American pop culture, hipsters and bunnies who hip-hop.

All this to explain why it's remarkable that hips have grabbed so many current headlines. Are we finally getting hip to hips, and all that they can teach us?

I certainly hope so.

For example, let's review two such stories which are ... well, joined at the hip, and see what we learn about money, deception, shopping hassles, and, yes -- there's more!

The first story involves an otherwise healthy, uninsured, 62-year-old grandmother seeking hip-replacement surgery for which she must pay out-of-pocket. The cost being of great concern, her dutiful granddaughter calls hospitals throughout the country, in quest of the lowest "complete bundled price" -- that is, cost inclusive of both hospital and physician fees. Read More