Lake View And Rocky Peaks

Dr. Victor Moritz, a physician-scientist at Lake View Medical Center, has developed a new treatment against prostate cancer cells that often spread and destroy a patient's bones. Moritz wants to begin a clinical trial of his discovery to test if it improves the lives of these unfortunate terminal individuals. A Patient Care and Research Ethics Committee must approve the trial's protocol before allowing treatment at Lake View Hospital. Moritz believes in his discovery, yet expects challenges during the Committee's review. Several faculty and extramural peers back Moritz's proposal. Additional support comes from two friends. One is a retired physician, Dr. Otto Zellers. Otto's beliefs, character, and his experiences now with aging remind Moritz of his late father. Thus, their friendship bond is strong. The other close supportive friend is Ruth, Moritz's lover. Ruth and Moritz met in Denver during a National Cancer Symposium one year ago. They soon became close and recognized they had many similar interests. Ruth lives in Phoenix, far from Lake View. However, during the year they have spent a few, but meaningful, week-ends together, and have continued communicating frequently. Ruth is visiting Moritz at his cabin near Lake View the week-end before the second scheduled Committee meeting. Ruth and Victor truly enjoy again their time with each other, and begin to realize that they both are wishing and thinking of how they would really like actually living together on a more permanent basis. As Moritz pursues his research and clinical study efforts, he continues his other responsibilities of teaching and patient care at Lake View. However, over a short period of time, several troublesome issues begin occurring. Otto Zellers experiences a sudden serious health event requiring emergency hospital admission. Moritz's friendship and encouragement are important for Otto. About the same time, Jim Davis, a patient of Moritz's with extensive bone cancer from prostate cancer cell metastases, has an additional urgent medical problem. Moritz, Jim and his wife, Rita, must face and work through the issue of whether or not Jim should begin and continue to treat this additional medical dilemma. The other option is to decide to stop medical cares. Jim would then face a rapid decline in his health and enter the Hospice Care Program at Lake View, which would help Jim and Rita face his impending death. At the second Committee meeting, Moritz realizes that certain faculty members of the Committee are clearly against his clinical study effort. Two openly and brazenly went to his research lab when Moritz was not there, and questioned Dr. Li Chen, the Postdoctoral Research scientist working with Moritz. They insulted her, accused her and Moritz of not disclosing negative data that would hurt his clinical study effort. They also attempted to bribe Chen to make false statements against Moritz and the data he has reported. The Director of Science at Lake View eventually resolved this and other similar problems. A few weeks into the study, however, more trouble surfaced. There was an unexplained break in the confidential patient information of the study protocol. This would now compromise the validity of the results obtained during Moritz's study. Also occurring were changes in the ideology at Lake View, with moving towards socialism policies by several of Lake View's administrators and faculty. Resolution of these difficulties was pivotal in Moritz's quest for scientific truth, independence and achievement. An opportunity for him arises at Rocky Peaks.

• | Author: R. Zachman
• | Publisher: Richard D. Zachman
• | Publication Date: Aug 29, 2018
• | Number of Pages: 318 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 0692162135
• | ISBN-13: 9780692162132