Economist, Feb 1, 2014 (I)

choi

The cadaver market | Death, Where Is Thy Bling?  A growing industry tries to meet the demand for corpses.
www.economist.com/news/united-st ... ath-where-thy-bling
(“'Cadaver-service firms' (or body-brokers) act as middle men between donors and end-users. They do not deal in bodies per se, but charge for things like transport, storage and preservation. * * * There may be as many as 30 body-brokers in America. Some are charities; others seek profits")

Note: "SUCH was the shortage of cadavers in the 17th century that William Harvey, the Englishman who discovered the circulatory system, dissected his own father and sister. * * * William Burke and William Hare, two British villains, went one step further and murdered 16 people to sell their corpses. Burke was hanged in 1829—and his body was dissected."
(a) William Harvey
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Harvey
(1578-1657; an English physician; section 3 "De Motu Cordis" (otherwise known as "On the Motion of the Heart and Blood"): studied various animals, conflict[ed] with Galen's accepted view of the liver as the origin of venous blood [Galen was a Roman physician [129-c 200/216 AD])
(i) Latin English dictionary:
* motus (noun masculine): "movement, motion"
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/motus
* cor (noun neuter): "heart"
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cor
(b) Burke and Hare murders
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burke_and_Hare_murders
(murders committed in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1828; Hare was given immunity, testified against Burke, and was released)

choi

The cost of medicine | Physician, Heal Thyself; Medicines are over-prescribed and overpriced.
www.economist.com/news/china/215 ... sician-heal-thyself

Quote:

"One of the main reasons for such hostility [against medical staff in China] is the high price of medicines and the corruption that contributes to it.

"China is expected to become the world’s second-largest pharmaceutical market by 2016, with total sales reaching $165 billion, according to IMS Health, a research firm [fueled by population aging, Chinese getting richer  etc]. But it is also the result of a system that inflates the cost of medicine. Even the cheapest generic drugs sold in Chinese hospitals are much more expensive than their international benchmark.

"Public hospitals in China are not so public in their funding: government subsidies only made up 9% of their revenues in 2011. By contrast, the sale of medicines accounts for 40%. * * * Hospitals are allowed to charge a 15% markup on the drugs they sell, so the more expensive the better. Consequently, China’s spending on medicines is 40% of total health expenditure, far higher than the average for OECD countries, of 16%.

"hospitals [are] where 80% of China’s drugs are sold * * * Chen Wenling, an economist in the research office of the State Council, China’s cabinet, estimates that kickbacks [to doctors, hospitals] usually account for more than 20% of the final retail price of a drug sold.

"The introduction of generic brands has driven down drug costs elsewhere in the world, but promoting their use is difficult in China. The incentive system works against the use of cheap drugs.