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Reply to "Our United States legacy"

Submitter: Kevin Jon Williams | K_Williams@mail.jci.tju.edu

Jefferson Medical College

Published November 13, 2008

Dr. Swain’s article seems surprisingly political, non-medical, and one-sided for the Journal of Clinical Investigation. But if the JCI is now a forum for political discussion, let me suggest an alternative point of view on a topic directly related to medical science. Dr. Swain focused on parallels between America and the former British Empire. But a crucial difference deserves emphasis: America has never been an empire, not even a “virtual” one.

Instead of colonies, we have protégé states: South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and West (now all) Germany. These protégé states have maintained their indigenous cultures, transformed into open, democratic societies, and as a consequence, excelled in the arena of medical science. In contrast, the states that America abandoned, the Republic of South Vietnam and the former monarchy of Iran, have virtually no presence in medical science, except through their refugees. The fate of Iraq, mentioned disapprovingly by Dr. Swain in her address to the AAP and ASCI, hangs in the balance. If we sustain the widely acknowledged successes of the surge and counterinsurgency, Iraq could re-establish a long-neglected Islamic presence in advanced medicine.

It is the outcome we should all hope for, and help them work towards.

Sincerely,
Kevin Jon Williams
Consulting Editor, The Journal of Clinical Investigation