countergenres for ID

Hi, all --

This has nothing to do with information design -- except possibly as
an example "countergenre" (a concept borrowed from the literary
critic, Claudio Guillén, author of _Literature as System_) -- but I
thought the piece was really good, and would be of interest to others
working with/in medical communications:

	Gawande, Atul.  "The Cost Conundrum: What a Texas Town Can
	Teach Us about Health Care."  _The New Yorker_, digital edn.
	for 1 June 2009.

available online at

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande


Atul Gawande is a physician (specifically, a surgeon at the Brigham
and Women's Hospital in Boston, and a professor at the Harvard School
of Public Health) who has been writing for _The New Yorker_ (a U.S.
literary mag known for its funny, quirky cartoons) for a while now.

(Some of Gawande's earlier essays for _The New Yorker_ were re-printed
in his books, _Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect
Science_ [2002] and _Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance_ [2007].)

This is an especially good piece, I believe, and while I was reading
it, I couldn't help but think about how top-notch IDers might
illustrate it differently! ;-)

At any rate, the topic is an important one in the U.S., as we prepare
to tackle health care reform this summer, and Gawande's treatment of
the issues is, as always, both thoughtful and provocative (at least
for USers, many of whom are ardent defenders of a mythical can-do
entrepreneurial spirit, wherever it surfaces, and whatever the costs ;-).


Also, Gawande was interviewed on International Public Radio's
_Marketplace_ yesterday:

	"Why Health Care Costs Are So High," an interview with Dr.
	Atul Gawande.  _Marketplace_, segment for Tuesday, June 2,
	2009.

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/06/02/pm_health_care_costs_q/


Deborah
(still desperately trying to finish another research project on C17
painting and visual rhetoric, before I can return to working on C17
calligraphy ... so, more delays ahead here :( ... sorry, but it can't
be helped)
_____

Deborah Taylor-Pearce
[email protected]












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