From cousin Michael Liskin, taken from his posting on www.collectivebits.net I recently returned from Sacramento, where I attended my cousin’s memorial (there was no funeral). I will never forget this event; 500 people came out to honor Harvey Rose, M.D. While this is not a personal blog, there is insight to be gained from the life of Harvey Rose, especially with respect to human interaction and the medical field in the U.S. Perhaps we are forced to scour the Internet in the role of personal medical researcher more often than we would like; is medical research our part-time job? We spend more time harnessing the collective intellect of the English-speaking world on medical topics precisely because most doctors do not have the dedication or encyclopedic knowledge of Harvey Rose. I appreciate the use of community knowledge to help us understand our own medical conditions–in fact it is a crucial step since no doctor can keep up with the world’s research–but what happened to doctors embracing their oath to us, assisting their community of patients with even a fraction of what Dr. Rose gave to his? Harvey Rose embodied the term community. He was a pain physician who fought for patients rights in the State of California at great personal cost. His stand for those patients ultimately culminated in the creation of the Patient’s Bill of Rights. Back in the ’80s the principle governing body of doctors wanted to pull his medical license in their blind quest to quash narcotics, just for his daring to prescribe pain medication to patients with unremitting chronic pain. It was remarkable to watch patient after patient tell the audience that Harvey Rose was their hero, and that he saved their lives. Over time, the blog in which I am now posting will certainly evangelize the prospect of online communities making a difference in people’s lives, however it will not do so by covering up how important local community is, along with professionals who care enough to call their patients every night with their test results. Harvey Rose was such a man. He cared for his patients unlike any doctor I have ever known, and he helped make this country a better place to live. He will indeed be missed by the world at large and by Kari, Dianna, Nathan, and the rest of his family and friends. I will miss him. Michael Liskin