Daniel talks to Dr. Samuel Pallin, a surgeon in Phoenix, Arizona, who holds a patent on a surgical technique. Dr. Pallin is suing another doctor who uses the same technique, claiming it is an infringement on his patent. They are joined by George Annas of the Boston University medical school, who says that patents for surgical techniques contribute to the de-professionalization of medicine. Annas says that traditionally doctors have not patented their procedures as intellectual property and that tradition should be continued.
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