Wachalal was referenced in a recent episode of the popular medical podcast, Stimulus with Rob Orman, MD. Rob is a well respected and influential voice in the world of medical education and Emergency Medicine. He is also someone I am honored to count as a mentor and friend.
The specific podcast episode in which Wachalal is mentioned is largely about medical debt and its surprisingly fascinating (and often sad) history. The guest, Luke Messac, MD, PhD, is a medical historian who has published a book exploring the topic. Wachalal has arguably very little pertinence to that particular topic. However, Dr. Messac had the good fortune of being a mentee of Dr. Paul Farmer. The Farmer connection is what prompted mention of Wachalal- as our website prominently features a Paul Farmer quote:
"The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world."
You can listen to the episode HERE (or, on your podcast listener of choice; Stimulus Podcast Episode 128). The entire episode is interesting and entertaining. However, if you want to jump to the part where Wachalal is referenced, that starts around minute 44.
In the webpage summary of the episode, it is exceedingly humbling to find Wachalal appear in a list that contains the likes of such legends as Paul Farmer and Rudolf Virchow. Screenshots below.
In homage to Virchow, we'll wrap up with something I do not recall learning in medical school... this gem of a quote:
"physicians are the natural attorneys of the poor."
Top Photo by israel palacio on Unsplash
screenshots from https://roborman.com/stimulus/128-the-strange-history-of-medical-debt/