Author profile

Dr Kenneth Sherriffs Morton

1925–2011 Dr Ken Morton, professor emeritus of orthopaedics at UBC, died suddenly on 13 August.  Ken Morton grew up and received his early education in Burnaby. He received both his undergraduate and his... Read More

So you want to be a doctor?

It is a sad fact that the rationing of health care in Canada extends to the rationing of medical school places for qualified applicants. In the wake of the 1991 Barer-Stoddart re­port, BC (like many other provinces)... Read More

Unprofessional professionals

“The public does not expect its professional servants to simply act according to the rules and it expects a different kind of behaviour and one where professionals are seen to act with honour and concern for the... Read More

In government we trust

Over the past 20 years Canadian governments have failed to anticipate the need for evolution in our health system. While many may criticize President Obama’s health reforms in the US (recent polls show only 37% support... Read More

Politicians, economists, and lawyers: Who will save us?

During the recent automobile crisis, President Obama’s pledge that buyers of Chrysler or GM cars could rest assured that the government would back up their new car warranty was widely supported. Yet, a promise of... Read More

Medicine, the media, and politics

We could be forgiven for being bored with politics. In a timeline of just a few months we have lived through Canadian and United States federal elections, provincial by-elections, and municipal elections. BC will soon... Read More

“Divide and rule, a sound motto. Unite and lead, a better one.”

“Divide and rule, a sound motto. Unite and lead, a better one.”                          ... Read More

Who pays?

“ The best things in life are free; but you can keep them for the birds and bees, now give me money; that’s what I want.” —John Lennon I doubt if any of us chose to enter medicine because of the potential for... Read More

Two-and-a-half cheers for the Supreme Court!

My hope is that the intense and irrational debate and rhetoric that has prevented objective discussion of Canadian medicare will be resolved by the dispassionate and logical intervention of the highest court in the land... Read More

Evidence and outcomes

Be not the first by whom the new is tried, nor yet the last to lay the old aside. Alexander Pope 1688–1744 The road of scientific progress is frequently blocked for long periods by such errors. (Referring to... Read More