The recent statements of Dr. Phil McGraw (a former psychologist), Dr. Mehmet Oz (a former cardiothoracic surgeon), and Dr. Drew Pinsky (a former internal medicine resident and specialist in addiction) making sweeping comments about the wisdom of the lockdowns and dangers of the coronavirus have brought new scrutiny. Why, it’s almost as if doctors who specialize in one area of medicine may not be reliable experts on other areas of medicine, such as virology and epidemiology. It’s even imaginable that the best doctors in the country don’t end up spending their weekdays on daytime talk shows, and that the confident assuredness and sweeping proclamations that make someone entertaining on television do not necessarily make for good health recommendations.


Meanwhile, another famous doctor who is on television a lot is making a different recommendation to the city of Philadelphia: “In the middle of the coronavirus outbreak, the best way to show Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection is by keeping your social distance.” It is nice to know that no matter how bad things get, we can still trust Dr. Julius Erving.