Gurli Bagnall

21 March, 2005

The job description for Trainee Clinical Fatigue Therapists in
some of the new network of  12  Fatigue Clinics across England,
was the last straw. While the language used was not
unexpected,  to see it in black and white was nevertheless a
body blow to those who suffer  Myalgic ncephalomyelitis/chronic
fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) as defined by the WHO, for it is at
them that the proposed "services" are aimed.

Judging by the recruiting advertisements, the positions are ideal
for people with a liking for power and a taste for sadism;  people
who would take pleasure in "modifying"  the "predisposing
personality style" of others; whose jackboots would march right
in there to deal with the "verbal aggression"  and to overcome
the "significant barriers" to the required changes in behaviour.  In
short, people  who would find job satisfaction in churning out
rows of  robots,  blank faced and unable to think for
themselves.

It is hardly surprising that sufferers of ME/CFS have resisted
years of pressure to accept this intolerable obscenity -  to
disregard their own common sense and to accept without
demur, a character assassination, a misdiagnosis, and
inappropriate and dangerous treatments.

In his lecture at the University of Strathclyde, in October 1999,
psychiatrist Michael Sharpe,  expressed the common view that:
"Those who cannot be fitted into a scheme of objective bodily
illness yet refuse to be placed into and accept the stigma of
mental illness remain the undeserving sick of our society and our
health service."

The inherent dishonesty in this statement, is blatant.  (a)
ME/CFS belongs in the same category of diseases as Motor
Neurone Disease, multiple sclerosis etc and has been listed
thus for 40 years by the WHO.  (b) When addressing a patient
(rather than professional) audience, psychiatrists of Sharpe's
persuasions, emphasize that there is no stigma to suffering a
mental disorder.  At the same time, emotional blackmail is used
to point out that the ME community's reluctance to accept a
psychiatric diagnosis, has resulted in the stigmatization of
others in the mental health system.

It is imperative to remember that being considered unworthy of
treatment  is but a short step away from being considered
unworthy of life.

Being unworthy of life (and therefore eligible for what has been
referred to as the final "healing treatment"), saw nearly 300,000
"mental defectives" die at the hands of psychiatrists  in Nazi
Germany between 1940 and 1945.   "Whether civilization's
treatment of the mentally ill has become more humane in a
century which gassed to death tens of thousands of
schizophrenics is a question which permits no comforting
answers about rationality and sanity." (Page 524, "The Greatest
Benefit to Mankind", Roy Porter.)

The official classification of ME/CFS by the WHO as a
neurological disease (ICD 10 G.93.3) is an embarrassment to
the authorities,  as are the scientific facts which bear out that
classification.  Those facts are expediently brushed aside as if
they do not exist. This  leaves very ill people trying to cope with
medical abuse, the denial of state assistance, inappropriate
care,  and dying from complications arising from the disease.

Unless  political and medical cultures change,  the irrationality
and insanity of these authorities may result in  ME sufferers
fighting something far less "subtle" and very permanent indeed.

As Stephen Ralph said of the job description, "These adverts
are a chilling read for anyone with ME.."
http://www.meactionuk.org.uk/Clinical_Fatigue_Job_Descriptions.htm

What have our wonderful Western democracies with their
constitutions and human rights, come to?

* * * * *

In Pakistan three years ago, ".the Meerwala council ordered
the gang rape of Mukhtar Mai, then 30, as punishment for the
alleged illicit sexual relations of her brother  Shakoor with a
woman from the rival Mastoi tribe."  (The New York Times,
March 4, 2004)

Western law does not allow a woman to be condemned to gang
rape,  and certainly not as punishment for someone else's
alleged misdeed.  However,  in their recent article, "Problems
and Solutions?"
(http://www.meactionuk.org.uk/Problems_and_Solutions.htm),
Eileen Marsh and Margaret Williams highlight that there are
many different kinds of rape. The lack of civilized behaviour
amongst many of the "wise men" in Western society,  is little
different to that of the "wise men" in the Pakistani council.  It is
only the approach that is different.

In our Western society,  many of the "wise men" are able to
offend on a grand scale. From the very top, a number of our
elected representatives betray our trust by placing their personal
conflicts of interest over and above the legitimate business of
government.  Nowhere is that more blatant than in the political
handling of conditions such as the neurological disease,
ME/CFS.

In his article published in The Guardian of March 1, 2005,
George Monbiot asked the question, "How can MPs properly
represent us when they are earning up to 95% of their income
from outside interests?"  William Hague, who apparently has
moonlighting down to a fine art, was given as a prime example.
The 54 non-parliamentary posts he holds reward him with "about
20 times as much for not being an MP as he makes for being
one".  But then, if he were not an MP, his services would not be
in such demand.

One can but assume that most of Hague's 54 posts entail little
more than the odd "Aye" in the House,  signatures and rubber
stamps  -  all valuable commodities.

Of attempts to make conflicts of interest public knowledge,
Monbiot stated:

"Transparent corruption is doubtless an improvement upon
opaque corruption, but it seems only to have dissuaded people
from pressing the case of corruption at all.  If there is one job
which should command a person's undivided loyalties, it is
surely the job of representing us."

So much for politicians who fight tooth and nail on the hustings to
gain their highly prized positions.  So much for their pre-election
promises,  and so much for their plaintive complaints about
being overworked.

Of all international industries,  the pharmaceutical industry is the
most powerful.  It exerts its influence on nearly all of us:  on
governmental policies and legislation,  on medical education, on
the practices of doctors, and ultimately, while some benefit,  it
also inflicts  death, disease and disability upon  a large
percentage of consumers.

In Australia which has a population of just 15.5 million,
preventable "medical error results in as many as 18,000
unnecessary deaths and more than 50,000 patients become
disabled each year." In the United States, the cost of dealing
with preventable medical error "was estimated to be $76.6bn,
rivaling the aggregate cost of caring for patients with diabetes."
("Epidemiology of medical error"  Weingart et al.  BMJ vol. 320.
18 March, 2000)  It should be noted that (a) these figures relate
only to hospital records.  GP statistics are not known.    (b) The
statistics in the UK and New Zealand  are proportionately in
keeping with these figures.

In the United States, "When a government panel concluded that
the painkillers Celetrex, Bextra and Vioxx could all be safely
marketed despite evidence of cardiac risks, the decisive votes
were cast by experts who had financial ties to the drugs'
manufacturers." ("Experts and the Drug Industry"  The New York
Times, 4 March, 2005)

The FDA itself,  has recently received  a spoof award which
encapsulates its neglect of duty:

"In the satirical ceremony the FDA won its award for the 'failure
to police drug advertising' and its 'collusion' with industry and
politicians that 'is costing  Americans billions of dollars in
unnecessary drug costs every year and exposing consumers to
unnecessary risks.'"  (News:  "FDA wins spoof award.."  BMJ
12 March, 20005.)

The medical profession, "educated" largely by the
pharmaceutical industry, is creating its own business at levels
that can only be dreamt about by other professions and trades.

Clearly the term "preventable medical error" covers too much
ground. Too often, adverse events have nothing to do with error,
preventable or otherwise.  Nevertheless, as it is used, the
expression covers a multitude of sins  -  anything from genuine,
forgivable  error to malpractice.  In other areas of society, a large
number of these instances would fall within a criminal category.
e.g.:  poisoning (with or without intent), assault, grievous bodily
harm,  manslaughter and murder.

In her review of a debate on standards of medical journalism,
Joanna Lyall highlighted how little concern the medical
profession feels for those suffering the adverse effects of
medical treatment.   ("Journalists accused of wrecking doctors'
lives"  BMJ 26 February, 2005.  330:485)  Lyall's subject
concerned  the contribution to that debate, made by Raymond
Tallis, professor of geriatric medicine, Manchester University.

"Professor Tallis said, 'One of the most striking trends in recent
years has been the increasing ease with which journalists smash
the lives of doctors and ruin the reputation of hospitals.'.Of the
Alder Hey Children's Hospital and the retention of organs, he
stated that this ".was within the law.[but]  This did not prevent
endless hysterical, persecutory coverage with tabloids hounding
doctors and managers.. there had been many other instances
of 'disgraceful' treatment in the press, with the 'unhuman pursuit
of the human story.'."

Typically, Tallis ignored the extent of medical "error".  Nowhere in
his argument, did he give a thought to those suffering iatrogenic
consequences -  that international  army of people who have lost
their health, their incomes, sometimes their homes and families,
and a number of them, their very lives.  The widespread
disregard for this unnecessary suffering, demonstrates an
arrogance rarely found outside of the DSM.

As a group of people with supposedly high IQs, the medical
profession attracts a disproportionate number of slow learners.
Just as diabetes, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis,
epilepsy, gastric ulcers and many more have, in the past,  been
diagnosed as hysteria in one form or another, so ME and similar
conditions are diagnosed today by people who deliberately
ignore the scientific facts and WHO categorization.

Against their better judgment,  why on earth would any intelligent
person give in to the demands and the figurative foot stamping
tantrums of practitioners of the above ilk  -  practitioners whose
own behaviour and mental stability is, at best, dubious?

If anyone was in any doubt about the war being waged against
the ME community, the job descriptions for trainee fatigue
"therapists" must surely have dispelled them.

In "Problems and Solutions?", Marshall and Williams point out
that lobbying politicians has done nothing towards curbing
unacceptable behaviour of medical personnel.  In line with the
rest of society, offenders should at the very least, be answerable
in the following areas.  (Reference: New Zealand Law
Dictionary  -  Hinde & Hinde  -  Based on English Law)

1.FRAUD:  Deliberately misdiagnosing a physical disease by
ignoring the scientific evidence and WHO categorization.

(a) An ACTUAL FRAUD may be defined as something said,
done, or omitted by a person with the design of perpetrating
what he must have known to be a positive fraud.

(b) CONSTRUCTIVE  FRAUDS are acts, statements or
omissions which operate as virtual frauds on individuals or
which, if generally permitted, would be prejudicial to the public
welfare.

2.ASSAULT:  The harm resulting from the above.

ASSAULT is defined as the act of intentionally applying or
attempting to apply force to the person of another, directly or
indirectly.

3.SLANDER AND LIBEL:  The language used to describe
those who suffer ME/CFS.

SLANDER  -  spoken defamatory language -  and

LIBEL - written defamatory language.

4.INTENTION:  Conflicts of interest which are detrimental to
patient welfare, demonstrates clear intention (presumed and
implied) to cause harm.

PRESUMED INTENTION:  For some offences, so long as the
proscribed conduct is proved, the intent is presumed until the
person charged proves a lawful excuse..

IMPLIED INTENTION:  For some offences the intent is implied
ie, the law will in certain defined circumstances impute to the
offender the intent required for a more serious offence where he
has entertained only the intent to commit a less serious
offence..

5.ABUSE OF PROCESS:   Where the patient is regarded as
the opponent or the enemy:

ABUSE OF PROCESS is defined as the malicious and
improper use of some regular legal proceedings to obtain some
advantage over an opponent.

As patients, we  are in very real danger.  My personal belief is
that until the ring leaders in this ME/CFS debacle have been
brought to account and dealt with sternly by the judiciary,  history
will continue to repeat itself.    The intolerable obscenity will
continue.

The final words belong to Marshall and Williams:

  "We submit that urgent action now must be taken and that since
all efforts to enlist the support of MPs have proven ineffective the
only route left if via the courts by Judicial Review..Legal Aid
may be available to bring Judicial Review proceedings.

"Those in the UK wishing to consider bringing an action for
Judicial Review in relation to denial of human rights for those
suffering from ME..may wish to contact Jamie Beagent in
Human Rights Department at Messrs Leigh Day & Co on
0207-650-1200 or directly by email to jbeagent@leighday.co.uk
or by post at Priory House, 25 St. John's Lane, London EC1M
4LB."

(End of quote.)

Further reading:  "Personally Speaking"

http://www.meactionuk.org.uk/personallyspeaking.htm

Gurli Bagnall

New Zealand

22 March, 2005