The China Study by Thomas Campbell

332 THE CHINA STUDY

John paused to gather his thoughts, and then said, "That may be the

case. Then I'll have to starve. I can't put people on drugs or surgeries

that don't work. Besides, I think you're wrong. I don't think it will be

bums and hippies. I think it will be successful people who have done

well in life. They'll ask themselves, 'I'm such a big success, so how come

I'm so fat?''' With that, John looked at the Chief's generous belly, and

continued, "They'll ask, 'If I'm such a big success, why are my health

and my future out of contro!?' They'll look at what I have to say, and

they're going to buy it."

John finished his formal medical education having had only one hour

of nutrition instruction, which involved learning which infant formulas

to use. His experience confirms every study that has found nutrition

training among physicians to be sorely inadequate.

HOOKED ON DRUGS

John touched on another important area where the medical profession
has lost credibility: its ties with the drug industry. Medical education
and drug companies are in bed together, and have been for quite some
time. John talked some about the depth of the problem and how the
educational system has been corrupted. He said:

The problem with doctors starts with our education. The whole

system is paid for by the drug industry, from education to research.

The drug industry has bought the minds of the medical profession.

It starts the day you enter medical school. All the way through

medical school everything is supported by the drug industry.

John is not alone in criticizing the way in which the medical estab-
lishment has partnered with the drug industry. Many prominent sci-
entists have published scathing observations showing how corrupt the
system has become. Among the common observations are:

• The drug industry ingratiates itself with medical students with
  free gifts, including meals, entertainment and travel; educational
  events, including lectures, which are little more than drug adver-
  tisements; and conferences, which include speakers who are little
  more than drug spokespeople.^15 -^17


• Graduate medical students (physician residents) and other physi-
  cians actually change their prescribing habits because of informa-
  tion provided by drug salespeople, 18-20 even though this information