The Human Action Podcast

Dr. Michel Accad: Can Austrian Economics Save Medicine?

Dr. Michel Accad
Michel Accad, MD

At this year's AERC, Dr. Michel Accad, who practices cardiology and internal medicine in San Francisco, presented a fascinating paper fusing Misesian insights with medicine. Dr. Accad highlights how viewing "the body as a machine" has played a major role in the rise of medical paternalism and one-size-fits all treatment. Dr. Accad instead proposes a praxeological framework for medicine, with health being defined "as the state that is present when one's physical and mental conditions allow the pursuit of one's chosen ends." Dr. Accad's talk is a brilliant application of Austrian theory to real world practice.