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3. Rudolf Virchow, a famous German physician and public health advocate, was famously quoted as

saying that "physicians are the natural attorneys of the poor." Do you agree? What responsibilities do

doctors have to society and to the communities they serve?

1 Answer

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Answer and Explanation:

Since this question asks for a personal opinion, feel free to change and adapt the answer below to suit your own perspective on the subject.

I agree. Doctors have a special responsibility to take care of the people which, as incredible as it may seem, goes beyond simply treating them. Doctors save lives every single day and are largely acknowledged by society as heroes for that, as they should be. But, by treating people of all classes, and especially for having access to the poorest of our society, doctors get to see what many others cannot or choose not to. Doctors know, for instance, when the population of a country is dying because they have nothing to eat, or because the streets are filthy and they have no access to clean water. Doctors get to see when pollution is harming people's lungs, or when accidents in badly kept roads are killing children. With that information, they can influence society and governments to make changes that will help save lives. Doctors have access to the empirical knowledge of real-life events and diseases connected to them. And they have the voice, a powerful one, to draw attention to issues.

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