You raise an excellent point regarding lawsuits. I do not have access to any figures, but it is common knowledge that the U.S has far more than Canada - with the inevitable result that one must protect oneself against such contingincies. A rather sad reality. My late general surgeon brother performed 1000's of operations in Toronto - he was never sued or threatened & he never lost a patient on the operating table through his own negligence - perhaps this is why about 2,000 people went to his funeral!

I remember him once saying - if he needed an operation, the first person he would look for was a good anaesthesiologist because this was the person who really would keep him alive. Any surgeon who had graduated had the mechanical skills to do the operation. In fact even a good carpenter potentially had the same skills if he were taught. The difference lay in knowing why one was doing certain procedures & what the consequences, prognosis & necessary follow-up procedures entailed.

A short time ago, I read where 2/3 of M.D's in the U.S. would gladly change professions within 2 years partly because they were fed up with all the government interference & bureaucracy as well as the endless insurance company hassles. Makes me think how simple life must have been for my old grandfather who was a horse & buggy doctor - life was so much more down to earth. He even was reported to have 6 bottles of coloured aspirin - sometimes wisely used as a placebo for those who really didn't need anything - rather funny isn't it - but an intelligent man. God rest his soul as well as my brother's.

To-day, it's all about politics, greed, money, power & me - what happened to the good old days when people generally really cared about one another - when mothers could stay at home with their children etc - the list goes on & on! One wonder where are we headed?