Our lives currently seem to be in the hands of doctors, and this concerns not only those who have caught the corona virus. New regulations on quarantine, social distancing and borders have been dictated to governments by their medical advisors. On April 10 the Italian weekly L’Espresso ran the headline: “Seven most powerful persons in Italy: today at the helm are (only) scientists.” Prime Minister Conte, President Trump and other top politicians are still giving statements, but their messages are being shaped by epidemiologists rather than electoral strategists. Should we rejoice? The answer is: not really.
Of course, ignoring early warnings from doctors and entertaining illusions that Covid-19 is just another flu has led to thousands of otherwise avoidable deaths. However, the relationship between politics and medical expertise is more complex than is currently assumed. This is not only because medical decisions have political implications. In a democracy we want to know that those in charge are elected and accountable. This is the case with politicians, however imperfect - but not with their medical advisors.
Are doctors always right?
We tend to assume that in a crisis like the current one, medical doctors are in a better position than politicians to decide which course of action is correct. This may be so in some cases, but there are some difficult questions about the role of medical expertise which ought to be addressed
