Of the 58 parties who received the message, half responded. Five respondents offered detailed, appropriate treatment advice. Only half of physicians and Webmasters made any response to the fictitious message, even though the problem described clearly constituted a medical emergency. Even when they did reply, it often took as long as 10 days. I t's well known that practicing physicians often prescribe medications for themselves.
New evidence indicates that self-prescribing is also common among medical residents.
A team of researchers led by physicians at the University of Pennsylvania sent an anonymous mail survey to all residents in four internal medicine training programs. Small numbers of survey respondents reported use of self-prescribed gastrointestinal medications, analgesics, psychotropics, and cardiovascular medications. Strong H istory records that Alexander the Great died in Babylon in 323 B.C. at age 32. Exactly how the famed Macedonian conqueror died, however, remains a topic of lively debate. Alexander's habit of bathing and swimming in rivers and streams may have put him at risk, they speculated.