Medicine

Empowered Bystanders

South Side Triage Training: Vice News Tonight (HBO) -- Vice, 2017, 5:23 -- https://youtu.be/taKkiqO7cqY

A new report on free first-responder trainings in the south side of Chicago, an area infamous for violence and gunshot victims. We see the beautiful transformation of potential bystanders into empowered citizens armed with life-saving knowledge. This is a wonderful example of community engagement and empowerment.  

Deaf Culture

Death Culture -- Vice News, 2017, 5:18 -- https://youtu.be/wLDM2pPYoOs

"Today, more than 40 percent of American children born deaf receive cochlear implants. The technology effectively restores hearing by bypassing the ear and delivering audio information directly to the brain. The vast majority of deaf children who are implanted develop hearing and speaking skills comparable to their hearing peers, thus allowing them the option to “mainstream” into normal schools.
Deaf education in the U.S. has gone through many phases. American Sign Language (ASL) is currently the dominant mode of instruction in deaf schools, but there have been periods where ASL was banned and students were forced to speak and lip-read, an ineffective approach known as oralism. ASL has now gained legitimacy and been shown to include the deep grammar and syntax found in spoken languages. It is also the wellspring of deaf culture, a proud community wary of historical attempts to assimilate them into a hearing world.
As more parents opt for cochlear implants, VICE News explores their impact on the medical condition that gave rise to a cultural identity".

Informed Consent in Controversial Research

One Shot to Live -- Vice, 2016, 6:06 -- https://youtu.be/9-NNDxA2-qo

A superb video on a controversial study involving gun shot victims in Philadelphia. Is too much medical intervention actually hurting victims' chances of survival and recovery? Researchers want to test this hypothesis by limiting the care given to victims by emergency responders and the issue of informed consent is front and center. As we ask ourselves "is this ethical?", it is important that we not forget the numerous abuses minority populations have suffered in the name of scientific research.