<p>This is a ridiculous post.</p>
<p>Sure, you need researchers to develop the basic science for a drug and a doctor to diagnose the illness and prescribe the drug, but you need the business community to acquire and distribute and utilize the capital to develop it. Unless you happen to have $800 million dollars per drug that you’d like to use, I think it’s pretty clear that Pfizer’s and Merck’s CEOs make a bigger difference – for better or for worse – in people’s lives than a doctor. Same with insurance companies – they can either do a world of good or a world of harm, far more than any single doctor usually does.</p>
<p>And why on earth would it be hypocritical? Most running backs know that they’re less important to a football team than the quarterback is – and yet a good running back doesn’t try to become a QB. He plays his role on the team.</p>
<p>Similarly, we’re joining a part of a broad medical team – from politicians and Presidents to CEOs to researchers to primary care doctors to specialists. Just because one position has an obviously greater social impact doesn’t mean we’re hypocrites for pursuing another one.</p>
<p>Sometimes running backs like running and blocking and breaking tackles. Is a 2-yard run as important as throwing a touchdown pass? No – but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t do it.</p>