Monday, June 15, 2009

afghan medicine

seems to be a combination of gross undertreatment balanced(?) by absurdly gross overtreatment.

our cook's 9 year old daughter wasn't feeling well
(probably a virus we'd treat with rest and fluids)
so she took her to a local doctor, who promptly prescribed:
several vitamin mixtures ("for bones," "for brain")
an oral steroid, an antibiotic
and valium

educated professionals started fleeing this country during the russian occupation 30 years ago. working with what's left, it might take at least that long to rebuild the intellectual and institutional infrastructure destroyed by decades of conflict...

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