"The delivery of good medical care is to do as much nothing as possible."

 

"In his review of "Random Acts of Medicine" (Bookshelf, Aug. 3), Alex Tabarrok writes, "There is now widespread recognition that too much medical care can be wasteful, but less recognition that it can also be harmful." This isn't a revelation. In addition to the ancient physician's admonition, "first, do no harm," during the Carter administration the bestselling author Sam Shem summed it up in his comic novel "The House of God":

 "The delivery of good medical care is to do as much nothing as possible."

Noam B. Katz

Chevy Chase, Md." [1]

1. As Much Nothing as Possible. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 09 Aug 2023: A.16.