Re: Quality, amputee union, ABC value etc.

Re: Quality, amputee union, ABC value etc.

George Boyer

9/22/1999

Mr. Ferrin - you waffle and take umbrage away from your very direct and
straight forward earlier post. Is someone or something leaning on you?
Yours were very candid observations for which there is ample basis. We
are not constructing an indictment of either medicine or prosthetics but
attempting to point directions for improvement. Thus your about-face is
puzzling.

To say that prosthetics is less definable (an art) than medicine
merely points out that less attention has been given to objectifying
it's content to make it rationally available to practitioners. There is
'science' and 'art' in both fields and such will always remain the
case.....it is the talented people in both fields who grasp this and use
informed intuition to produce superior results. The residency paradigm
is clearly the primary method of passing on skills to the newcomer.

I am not 'attempting to define' the native values of amputees but merely
pointing out that such a body of values IS constantly being defined in
everyday transactions which amputees have in their lives. Amputees ARE
a group of people sharing a common problem the solution of which
requires that similar values be taken into account - and this of course
represents only a small part of amputees lives in general. The more
adequately these special problems are resolved the less the situation of
being an amputee intrudes into the pursuit of satisfaction in life generally.

Thanks for your participation in the exchanges here. Cheers, George B.



<Email Address Redacted> wrote:
>
> Mr Boyer,
> At the risk of having you put more words in my mouth, I will respond to
> your email. I will not post it on the o&p listserv because I think most
> subscribers know by now how you feel.
> I do not consider the medical establishment significantly deficient,
> nor do I think the transfer of accumulated knowledge in prosthetics is
> lacking. In my experience, much of the knowledge in our field can
> only be learned through experience and is indefinable. As yet this field
> is not a science, but an art. In that way it is more difficult to learn
> and teach than is conventional medicine. It appears that you consider
> yourself and an amputee union able to solve all the problems inherent in
> a capitalistic health care system.
> I find it very arrogant for you to attempt to define or delineate the
> amputee's native values. Are amputees a race of people with a
> different view of life than non-amputees, with you as their leader? Do
> we not all have the same basic goals; to enjoy life, make the most of our
> set of challenges and feel accepted for who we are? Your energies might
> be more effectively focused on a local amputee support group than on some
> kind of amputee union. Frankly the amputees I serve are too busy
> enjoying life and their mobility to expend much angst about some
> perceived injustices. Don't try to change the world, try to change
> yourself. If we all did this the world would change permanently for the
> better.
>
> Lane Ferrin
>