June 16, 2001

12:21 AM

Stalking Dr. Steere Over Lyme Disease -- Dr. Allen Steere was the man who first investigated and discovered Lyme Disease in 1975, but now he is troubled that doctors nationwide are misdiagnosing other conditions as Lyme disease. He has been influential in reducing the number of Lyme diagnoses, only to be attacked by angry patients who hate and threaten him for not letting them have their chosen disease -- Dr. Steere now says, "We've come to have the idea in America that it is possible to cure anything and that everyone could be well, and it's even their right to be well, and they should be angry if the medical profession doesn't make you well."
posted by palegirl (6 comments total)

Perhaps "People sicken me" is a little too simplistic, but the shoe fits.

Have people always been such infants?
The answer is probably yes, but I'd like to think at some point, somewhere, some group of grown-ups could deal with news they didn't like to hear without lashing out like toddlers.

It's only 5 am, and I'm already bummed out with my whole species.

I'm going over to the next link to stare at the Olsen Twins some more.
posted by dong_resin at 1:50 AM on June 16, 2001

Hey, if you don't like your diagnosis, it's your right to consult other physicians, to reject it entirely, what have you.

It is not your right to attack the guy who diagnosed you. I understand the impulse; I've been seeing a lot of doctors lately, and the way they deal with you, you want to punch them. But you don't. You realize that they're more often than not harried, overworked and doing their best, that they went into the medical profession because they wanted to help people, and you thank them and leave.

Hell, I come from an island where Lyme Disease is endemic. The cure sucks. These people should be glad they don't have it.
posted by Ezrael at 4:10 AM on June 16, 2001

What island is that?
posted by rodii at 8:26 AM on June 16, 2001

Prudence Island, RI. Tick central; dozens of cases of Lyme's Disease a year. In a population of a few hundred souls year-round. (Granted, I haven't been home in years, save for a brief trip last year...and my father's wife had come down with it while I was there.)
posted by Ezrael at 9:26 AM on June 16, 2001

"population of a few hundred souls" .. and dropping .. this sounds like a great Darwinian experiment. Nothing personal but Lyme is so nasty why would anyone take the chance living there its like moving to Chernobyl.
posted by stbalbach at 12:23 PM on June 16, 2001

Reading back my first whinny remark, I see I neglected to mention how cool I find people like Allen Steere who put The Truth before their professional life. If I did anything half as worthwhile with my time as Dr. Steere, I wonder if I'd stand out amidst controversy.
Probably not.
posted by dong_resin at 10:24 PM on June 16, 2001