In article et,
Maxprop wrote:

"Dave" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 09 May 2006 00:14:59 GMT, "Maxprop" said:

So - if those truly motivated in the main by money & prestige choose
some other profession than medicine, good. I don't regard a doctor
practising family medicine as all that much superior to a good auto
mechanic, to tell the truth.

Ridiculous. Next time you are seriously ill, consult your local mechanic.

Not at all ridiculous. A good analogy, in fact. The reply is absurd.

Both a good doctor and a good mechanic have the skill of applying
knowledge
of an extensive knowledge base to diagnosing a specific problem and
finding
the right solution to that problem. To suggest that you can't expect
someone
looking at the wrong knowledge base to solve a problem is obvious, but
utterly beside the point.

A predictable legal response.

It's the extent of the knowledge base that differentiates the two. If an
auto mechanic's knowledge base were as extensive and voluminous as that of
the physician, mechanics would be in very short supply, and it would cost
you thousands to repair a clogged fuel injection system. Auto mechanics,
when repairing a vehicle, have the luxury of taking a moment to consult a
parts list or a diagram of the particular device or subassembly upon which
they are working. Physicians have no such luxury. Cars don't die on the
mechanic while he takes a look at the repair manual followed by a coffee
break.

Hmmm. I guess you've spent no time in a public hospital recently.
Waiting times in Casualty in Australia, some people *have* died and the
delay times are generally sufficient for people to have a 3 course
dinner let alone a coffee break.

Few doctors outside casualty & surgery operate under those time
pressures, Max. You're using a small group to stand for all. It simply
isn't so.

Not to mention doctors' extensive libraries, reference materials and
computers......

PDW