Episode 26: The God Squad

 in Podcasts  tagged dialysis / ethics / history / rationing by

The invention of dialysis — essentially artificial kidneys for people with kidney failure — revolutionized medicine. It also started a debate about medical rationing and ethics that rages to this day. Producer Cam Steele brings us a story about the God Squad, the group of lay people and doctors tasked with deciding who lived and who died in the early days of dialysis, and how it has informed every debate about medical rationing since. Learn about all this and more, plus a new #AdamAnswers in the latest episode of Bedside Rounds, a tiny podcast about fascinating stories in clinical medicine.

Sources:

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  • Jonson AR, The God Squad and the Origins of Transplantation Ethics and Policy, Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics.
  • Levine C, The Seattle “God Committee”: A Cautionary Tale; Nov 30 2009.
  • Blagg, CR. The Early Years of Chronic Dialysis: The Seattle Contribution. Am J Nephrol 1999;19:350–354
  • Persad, et al. Principles for allocation of scarce medical interventions, Lancet 2009; 373: 423–31.
  • Bryson, et al. Addiction and Substance Abuse in Anesthesiology. Anesthesiology. 2008 Nov; 109(5): 905–917.
  • Hughes, et al. Resident Physician Substance Use, By Specialty. Am J Psychiatry 1992; 149: 1348-1354.