Monday, August 13, 2007

TV doctors playing with life and death

As a big fan of Grey's Anatomy (despite its flaws), I was interested to read today that such medical shows and their cavalier attitudes towards organ donations (this means you, Izzie!) scare off potential donors! This may or may not be accurate but if true would be distressing. However, it is not the first time I have been startled by superstitious attitudes about organ donation. My former boss Helmus once told a group of co-workers that he would never be an organ donor because he is convinced that if he were in an accident and an EMT saw the donor card, he would be harvested instead of saved. And he a doctor's son! Sitting around a restaurant in San Francisco, we looked at him dubiously but he was quite serious. Perhaps fortunately, his theory has not been put to the test. I myself am duly registered with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts via the Department of Motor Vehicles.

2 comments:

Ellen Gerstein said...

"Harvesting Helmus" - I see this as a title of a warm-hearted children's fable, don't you?

CLM said...

Or a sitcom, perhaps...