Subject:
?Best Ophthalmology Hospitals?
From:
Ernst Meyer <ernstmeyer@earthlink.net>
Date:
Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:56:08 -0500
To:
molmsted@rti.org

Dear Dr. Olmsted,

In response to your repeated inquiries concerning my nominations
of "outstanding hospitals" in my specialty, permit me the following
respectful comments:

1) I have refrained from answering your letter, because I find the question
meaningless in the following perspectives.

a) There are undoubtedly a number of hospitals in the United States
devoted solely to ophthalmology which could properly be denominated
"ophthalmology hospitals", but none in New England, and none with which
I am familiar. In all hospitals about which I have personal knowledge ,
ophthalmology is practiced and taught  in conjunction with one or more
other medical/surgical specialties.

b) There is no accepted definition of what is meant by "a good hospital,"
or by "the best hospital".  In contemporary American culture all hospitals
advertise, and thus identify themselves as temples of quackery and refuges
for mountebanks. The advertisements are calculated to create an impression
of quality which no knowledgeable person of integrity and judgment can
endorse.  Given that assets are finite, it is axiomatic that resources devoted
to self-promotion are resources denied to the patients who need them.
For my views on advertising in medicine, should you be interested, see:
http://home.earthlink.net/~ernstmeyer/glaucoma/letter04.html

2) I have no reason to anticipate that you or your organization have any interest
in my opinions or experiences concerning the nature and quality of medical practice.
If I am in error, you may reply to this e-mail, and if appropriate, I will respond.

Sincerely yours,
Ernst J. Meyer, MD
174 School Street
Belmont MA 02478
617-484-8109