I recently had the pleasure of speaking with medical student members of the Benjamin Rush Society at the Medical College of Wisconsin.  During the question and answer session at the end, I marveled at the questions these young people asked.  Their questions indicated that they were well-versed in topics from the ethical conflicts of hospitals employing physicians to “repricing” of medical claims and uncompensated care.

After some reflection I realized that this meant they were reading my blogs.  I continue to be honored and dazzled by this, as I remember well how little time was available to read anything in medical school other than what was required.

But something truly remarkable occurred  at the end of our session when one of the students asked me for reading recommendations, basically asking me how did I acquire my “business sense.”  As I mentioned Bastiat, Rothbard, Mises, Hoppe and Shaffer, I witnessed the following:  these students were high-fiving each other as I mentioned these great men.

What great news this is.  I told them I was jealous that at their young age they had already encountered these writings, writings I encountered only much later in life.  Lew Rockwell has written recently (“Fascism vs. Capitalism”) that this “Austrian” perspective serves as a lens through which human actions and events can be better understood, a lens which also allows for better economic prediction. What an advantage these young people have!

While I know that the students appreciated my talking with them, the gift I received from them of this unforgettable visual dwarfs any benefit they received from me.  Knowing that these young physicians embrace this brand of liberty bodes well for us all.  Many thanks to Chris Newland, second year medical student,  for setting this up.

G. Keith Smith, M.D.