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Comment by vectorwhat | Hacker News Reader

My prejudice (I'm putting it out there to be honest, not judgmental):

In general I have little patience for big people who eat poorly (I couldn't care less if someone exercises or not) because I think it's so easy to be the right weight if you cut stupid calories.

Easy for me to say, I'm 6'1''. When I was 20 I weighed 165 lb, I'm 180 now. I smoke when I want, stuff my face with whatever food I want. My doctors cheer my good health.

However:

I really despise a doctor talking about anything that isn't on my agenda. My health, my money, I lead the convo. For me a doctor is someone, probably not as intelligent as me (or most people on this forum) who has domain knowledge and access to medical services I need.

Cut the crap and give me the service I'm paying for not a bloody lecture.

Dentists can stop with the floss already. I know, I don't care.

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For me a doctor is much more than someone with domain knowledge and access to medical services. My experiences, however, are purely with dutch doctors.

A good doctor, especially when treating chronic patients, forms an essential part of the social structure necessary to treat a disease. In most cases handing out recipes for pills is (or should be) only a minor part. Many chronic diseases are exacerbated (or caused solely) by stress, unhealthy eating habits, lack of activity, depression, social isolation, unhealthy working environments, etc. Why treat the symptoms when you can treat the causes? Armed with this knowledge, an intelligent doctor treats using medicine and spurs habitual changes.

Another thing. You mention doctors are not intelligent and basically a human rolodex of knowledge. As an outsider, I've seen the complexity of our current understanding of the immune-system. Immunology alone has nothing to do with rote memorization. Compare it with diagnosing an extremely complex self-repairing, self-diagnosing, self-reproducing group of information systems. We have no complete manual. Performing proper tests is expensive and not 100% reliable. Although each information system within the group is similar, they are different in slight, unpredictable, undocumented ways. Oh, and each year, around 10 important books are published on new findings about these information systems. You only have time to read 5.

> For me a doctor is someone, probably not as intelligent as me (or most people on this forum)

You might want to revisit this opinion.

Why? A medical degree is mostly a marathon of hard work and dedication. Laudable. I couldn't do it.

But does it take wits? The medical researcher probably. The person who figures out the dosage, maybe. But the person who through rote learning knows of the top of their heads the proper dose? Meh.

The people on this forum probably average 130 IQ. Not everyone here could do a medical degree. But most are probably smarter than their doctors.

What is programming other than learning through rote?

I disagree. I believe pretty much anyone has the ability to fill the role of a web developer if they take the time on their own to learn the skills. Not many people have the intelligence, focus and competence it takes to be in medicine.

I second that.

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