October 1929, part II?

I am not very familiar with the world of international finance. It seems that the nationalization of two major investment firms in as many weeks is not good, though. I think that we might have ringside seats to another economic downturn like our grandparents faced. Hopefully I won't be reduced to selling apples and pencils on wall street. What will happen to medicine if we are faced with another depression? The last time we were in a depression, the Democratic president attempted to revitalize the economy with federal funds injected via public works projects, in the form of the TVA, CCC, and others. What will happen to the plans for centralized health care? Will a left-wing executive nationalize health care in an attempt to cover unemployed persons unable to ensure themselves? Will the government decide such a course of action is too expensive and unsustainable, despite its political popularity? People will always need doctors, for which I am grateful,but who will pay the doctor if nobody can pay for insurance because they're unemployed, or their employer can't afford insurance? During the last depression, health insurance was more or less an oddity. Patients paid their doctors in cash (or favors, or probably even in kind). The health insurance industry is more or less a relic of WWII when companies needed to provide incentives for workers in the presence of wage freezes. I'm probably betraying my profound ignorance of the health care system , so I will ask you, the readers, to post your thoughts and estimates for economic situation. Two of you I know were finance majors, so c'mon, be famous, and comment something constructive.



In other news, I bought a new stethoscope today. It's a Littman Cardiology III, and, as far as I can tell, is very nice. I find it peculiar that we buy expensive equipment before we really have an idea what we're looking for and what our preferences may be. The vendors at the equipment were really hawking their $600 panopthalmoscopes. What medical student has $600 to drop on something that is fastened to the wall of every clinic? Even the navy kids can't afford that kind of stuff.

Medical students are pretty ruthless with their time. Yesterday we had a lecture that was very difficult to follow, both because of the lecturer's accent, and because she chose to lecture at the level appropriate for 9th graders. At halftime, the entire class left, with the exception of about 15 people. Without exaggeration, there were no more than two dozen students left, from about 85 present initially.