The Cure in the Code: How 20th Century Law Is Undermining 21st Century Medicine

Digital and biochemical revolutions have made it possible to decode what ails us and help determine the remedy—if only Washington and the FDA would get out of the way—argues Huber, a lawyer and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, in this provocative, optimistic look at modern medicine. He envisions a free-market ideology for drug development and usage that, thanks to digital technology, will cheaply design new drugs and predict how well they perform and on whom. But Huber, who popularized the term “junk science” with his 1991 book Galileo’s Revenge: Junk Science in the Courtroom, believes Washington nudges doctors away from the Hippocratic oath to “prescribe regimens for the good of my patients” and toward “veterinarian ethics—the sick dog’s treatment is determined by the master’s willingness to pay.” There’s no middle ground in the war between the 20th and 21st century medicine, Huber believes—we must choose between medicine that deals with “biochemical reality” or is “favored by crowd doctors” who “cling to the view that if they scrutinize, track, certify, and choreograph things just right, they can deliver better medicine to all from afar.” Huber’s challenge is sure to spark controversy as the U.S. adapts to the Affordable Care Act. (Nov.)