Editor’s Letter

Healthcare: The First Sign Of Civilization

We like to talk about the healthcare field in extraordinary terms. It’s the largest industry in the country, the biggest contributor to the GDP, and the one virtually everyone depends on at one time or another. But there’s one other measure that is fascinating about what healthcare practitioners do. Years ago, the anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture. The student expected Mead to talk about clay pots, tools for hunting, grinding-stones, or religious artifacts. NEIL GREENBERG But no. Mead said that the first evidence of civilization was a 15,000 year-old fractured femur found in an archaeological site. A femur is the longest bone in the body, linking hip to knee. In societies without the benefits of modern medicine, it takes about six weeks of rest for a fractured femur to heal. This particular bone had been broken and had healed. Mead explained that in the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from danger, you cannot drink or hunt for food. Wounded in this way, you are meat for your predators. No creature survives a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal. You are eaten first. A broken femur that has healed is evidence that another person has taken time to stay with the fallen, has bound up the wound, has carried the person to safety and has tended them through recovery. A healed femur indicates that someone has helped a fellow human, rather than abandoning them to save their own life. I was reminded of this story, obviously, because of how healthcare has become even more front and center during this crisis. Not only are we grateful for the efforts of doctors, nurses, technicians, researchers and the healthcare companies – pharma, bio and device – that are working to treat and cure Covid-19, but there is another aspect just as important. We are learning the value of our human reaction to each other. The instinct to protect, care for and comfort people close to us, as well as those most vulnerable. From your neighbor to the largest corporations in the world, that instinct is asserting itself more powerfully than ever, as everyone sacrifices and contributes to beating this scourge and staying healthy. And of course that’s what people in healthcare do every day, in good times and bad, with all their strength and heart. That’s civilization, and now each of us is learning more about it all the time.

We try to keep up with all this, and bring you the people who have a grasp on change. We hope that it will be informative, and assist you in furthering the work you do every day. Let us know what topics will be most useful to you!

Neil Greenberg, Editor

To become an HS&M contributing author or provide feedback, please email me at ngreenberg@hsandm.com.

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