Mistakes by doctors a cause of death

Recently, Dr. James Webster wrote a letter to the Fencepost. His thesis was so flawed that to be categorized as ridiculous would be kind.

Dr. Webster fails to report that he and his colleagues manage to kill about 250,000 people each year, iatrogenically speaking. Iatrogenic means to be induced in a patient by a doctor's activity, manner, or therapy. This is supported by a study from one of the premier medical centers in the U.S., namely Johns Hopkins. The study's author is Dr. Barbara Starfield of the Hopkins' School of Hygiene and Public Health. This makes doctor caused deaths the third leading cause of deaths after cancer and heart disease.

Clean up your own house, doctor. Your argument and (so-called) logic do not pass the small test!

Tom Manion

Mount Prospect