Thank You Readers

What began as an idea 6 months ago has turned into a fast-growing movement.

In honor of Thanksgiving, we offer a note of thanks and a brief update.

We launched Sensible Medicine six months ago, and the response has been amazing.  We have had hundreds of thousands of readers peruse our pages. This demand has lended support to our hypothesis: that people want information that is intellectually honest and scientifically independent.

Our good start also suggests that readers have tired of curated news and cancel culture’s assault on scientific ideas. They want an open forum to comment in the spirit of learning and civility. The thousands of comments have challenged us and made us think.

We set out to make Sensible Medicine a place where doctors, scientists and health care professionals can air a range of views and challenge entrenched ideas. We posted debates on issues such as masking in healthcare facilities, vaccinating children for COVID-19 and colonoscopy screening. We have tried to show both the technical and human side of medicine. We regularly dissect articles that have appeared in medical journals and lay press.

Next, we offer thanks to our 40 guest writers. Sensible Medicine enticed readers who didn’t typically write about their experiences to try their hand at the written word. If you have something to say, please drop us a note. Just hit reply to an email you receive. Sensible Medicine seeks the wisdom of the crowds. (Our main requirement is short-writing.)

We also thank our workhorse columnists: Adam Cifu, John Mandrola and Vinay Prasad have written 71 pieces for Sensible Medicine.  Each brings a different background and perspective.

As for editing, we have to apologize a bit. Some of our pieces have had typos, spelling mistakes, etc. Why? The truth is that we have full time jobs.

We have recently given subscribers the opportunity to financially support Sensible Medicine and our first order of business is to add editorial support.

A closing word on the independence of Sensible Medicine:

Nearly all healthcare content, be it from online medical sites, professional societies, and, yes, even academic journals are supported by industry advertisements. This leads to content that is careful, curated and usually supportive of the “current thinking.”

Sensible Medicine is different. We are beholden only to our readers.

We framed our grand idea from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s American Scholar lecture in 1837. (Hat tip: Dr. Bryan Vartabedian at 33Charts)

Emerson felt that an academic had an obligation to think publicly and to think clearly—not influenced by tradition or historic views.

The only way to challenge entrenched ideas in medicine today is independence. That’s because success in the academy (almost always) requires an allegiance to the dogma of the day. Only nominal push back is allowed. Guess how many invited editorials and lectures you get if you step too far out of line?

This is why Sensible Medicine will remain user funded. If you enjoy our content, please consider supporting our efforts. Keep commenting and challenging us.

Remember what the late Christopher Hitchens wrote:

We are just getting started. Thank you.

– The Editors