People Continue To Like Animals More Than People

“In many ways, rats and mice get greater protection as research subjects in the United States than do humans,” said Arthur L. Caplan, chairman of the department of medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania.

And those are animals people don’t like. When it’s an animal people like, such as horses or dogs, people really get into it. Mike Vick and the dogfighting ring? If you held the same thing, but with humans — say, “humanfighting” — people would cheer it on as people battled in rings and cages.

Still, I think horsefighting would be pretty popular.

Report Assails F.D.A. Oversight of Clinical Trials [NYT]

ER, Ambulances Still Sick

Today’s Inquirer fronts a report from the Institute of Medicine that says the nation’s emergency medical care system is only slightly better than, say, Paraguay’s was in 1967.

Okay, it’s not that bad. But visits to the ER are up, the number of hospitals is shrinking and waiting times are way up. Too many people are using the ER as their primary care service. The Inquirer article today says that at Hahnemann University Hospital, there was a 50 percent increase in ER visits last year over five years ago.

But fear not, Philadelphians! We are insulated from these disasters in a special way, as PW — hey, I know those guys — reported back in April:

Cities with the recommended amount of EMS resources save 40 to 45 percent of cardiac arrest victims. According to Fire Department statistics, Philadelphia saves 4 percent.

In Philadelphia, you see, we don’t even have enough resources to get you to the ER in the first place. Problem solved!

Report: ER situation critical [Inky]
Dying for a change [PW]

Your AIDS Vaccine May Cause Erections Longer Than Four Hours

This week’s on-the-street interview from the Philadelphia Gay News:

Ooh, I know someone who’s voting for Hillary!

Street Talk [PGN]