Debunking myths in physician-industry conflicts of interest.

摘要

DR LICHTER'S THOUGHTFUL AND PROVOCATIVE PERSPEC-tive Article, "Debunking Myths in Physician-Industry Conflicts of Interest,"reflects and extends upon, many important facets of the comprehensive and informative Knapp Symposium that included Dr Lichter and opened the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Ophthalmo-logical Society (AOS). However, this Letter suggests at least two important questions.First, is it appropriate to consider speaking at drug company-sponsored events a form of bribery? Within this editorial, the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary's definition of bribe is provided as follows, "Money or favor given or promised in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust." However, it may be important to recognize that other widely used dictionaries define bribe in a more restrictive and derogatory fashion. For example, Webster's New World College Dictionary defines a bribe as, "anything, especially money, given or promised to induce a person to do something illegal or wrong." Furthermore, a second variation provided includes, "anything given or promised to induce a person to do something against his wishes."