Studies adapted from Chris Cirone "Cases in Medical Ethics: student led discussions"Case 1: You are a general practitioner and a mother comes into your office with her child who iscomplaining of flu-like symptoms. Upon entering the room, you ask the boy to remove his shirtand you notice a pattern of very distinct bruises on the boy's torso. You ask the mother where thebruises came from, and she te
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Studies adapted from Chris Cirone "Cases in Medical Ethics: student led discussions"
Case 1: You are a general practitioner and a mother comes into your office with her child who is
complaining of flu-like symptoms. Upon entering the room, you ask the boy to remove his shirt
and you notice a pattern of very distinct bruises on the boy's torso. You ask the mother where the
bruises came from, and she tells you that they are from a procedure she performed on him known
as "cao gio," which is also known as "coining." The procedure involves rubbing warm oils or
gels on a person's skin with a coin or other flat metal object. The mother explains that cao gio is
used to raise out bad blood and improve circulation and healing. When you touch the boy's back
with your stethoscope, he winces in pain from the bruises. You debate whether or not you should
call Child Protective Services and report the mother.
Question:
1. Should we completely discount this treatment as useless, or could there be something
gained from it?
2. When should a physician step in to stop a cultural practice?
3. Should the physician be concerned about alienating the mother and other people of her
ethnicity from modern medicine?
4. Do you think the physician should report the mother?
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