The Hidden Epidemic: Iatrogenic Deaths, Medical Negligence, and the Case for “Medical Nihilism” in the US and Australia, By Mrs (Dr) Abigail Knight (Florida)

Flickering in the sterile glow of operating rooms and the hurried scribble of prescriptions, modern medicine promises salvation. Yet, beneath the white coats and evidence-based mantras lies a grim reality: The systems designed to heal are among the deadliest forces on Earth. Iatrogenic harm, illness or death caused by medical intervention, claims millions annually, often through errors, negligence, or the blind faith in interventions that do more harm than good. In the US, it's the equivalent of a 747 crashing daily; in Australia, a Boeing 737 plummeting every few days. These aren't anomalies; they're systemic. And as philosopher Jacob Stegenga argues in his 2018 landmark Medical Nihilism, the evidence for most treatments is so flimsy, riddled with bias, small effects, and malleable methods, that our confidence in medicine should be profoundly low. Not anti-medicine, but sceptical: Prioritise "gentle medicine" (lifestyle, watchful waiting) over aggressive interventions unless the benefits are crystal clear. With 2024-2025 data painting an even bleaker picture, these numbers scream for reform. Let's dissect the carnage in the US and Australia, then ask: If the cure kills more than the disease, isn't it time for nihilism/scepticism as Stegenga recommends?

The US Toll: A Daily Jumbo Jet Crash, Sanctioned by the System

America's healthcare behemoth, $4.5 trillion annually, 18% of GDP, delivers miracles like organ transplants and vaccines. But it also engineers mass casualties. The oft-cited 2016 Johns Hopkins study pegged medical errors at 251,000 deaths yearly, making them the third-leading cause after heart disease and cancer. That's one in ten hospitalisations ending in harm, with over half preventable. Fast-forward to 2025: A Journal of Surgical Research analysis of CDC data from 1999-2020 shows iatrogenic error (IE) mortality fluctuating wildly, peaking at 225,000 in 2013, dipping to 142,000 in 2020 amid COVID scrutiny, but rebounding post-pandemic. Extrapolate to 2024-2025: Provisional CDC figures suggest 250,000+ again, fuelled by medication errors (up 15% since 2020) and diagnostic misses in telehealth booms.

Negligence amplifies the horror. A 2024 STAT News report estimates iatrogenic deaths outside hospitals, misdiagnoses, adverse drug reactions (ADRs), match inpatient tolls, pushing totals toward 400,000-500,000 yearly. PubMed's 2017 review: ADRs alone kill 128,000; surgical errors, 98,000. Vulnerable groups suffer most: Elderly (65+) face 1-in-5 error rates; minorities, 20% higher misdiagnosis odds. Over 20 years? 5-10 million dead, more than all US wars combined.

Why? Pharma influence: 70% of trials industry-funded, skewing results 30% toward efficacy. Hospitals prioritise throughput over safety; underreporting hides 90% of incidents. The result? A "medical-industrial complex" where profit trumps patients, echoing Stegenga's critique of "magic bullets" that fizzle.

Aggregated from Johns Hopkins, CDC, and PubMed; half via negligence.

Australia's Shadow Crisis: Fair Go? Not in the OR

Down under, universal Medicare masks a similar slaughterhouse. The 1995 Quality in Australian Healthcare Study found 16.6% of admissions trigger adverse events, with 4.9% fatal and 51% preventable, translating to 18,000 deaths yearly then. By 2025? The Australian Patient Safety Foundation warns 18,000-54,000 annual iatrogenic deaths, with negligence (e.g., surgical delays, med mix-ups) in 60%. ABS 2024 data: Total deaths hit 187,268, but "external causes" (including medical mishaps) rose 4.4%; provisional 2025 figures show 72,508 deaths Jan-May, with error-linked spikes in falls (up 10%) and infections.

A 2025 MJA study on surgical deaths (2012-2019) flags non-technical errors (communication lapses, poor planning) in 30% of 5,000+ cases — highest in orthopaedics (40%). AIHW's avoidable deaths metric: 10,000+ yearly from treatable conditions mishandled. Indigenous Aussies? 2x error rates. Over 20 years: 360,000-1 million dead.

Medicare's bulk-billing frenzy incentivises volume over vigilance; rural shortages amplify misdiagnoses. Echoing US woes, pharma lobbying warps guidelines, statins pushed despite marginal benefits.

From APSF, MJA, and AIHW; negligence drives bulk.

Global Backdrop: WHO's Wake-Up Call

The WHO's 2024 Global Patient Safety Report nails it: 1 in 10 patients harmed, >3 million deaths yearly, half preventable. LMICs bear 80%, but high-income nations like the US/Aus aren't spared. Over 20 years: 60 million+ dead, dwarfing conflicts. ADRs alone: 5-8% of global deaths.

Medical Nihilism: Scepticism, Not Surrender

Enter Stegenga's Medical Nihilism: Not "medicine is useless," but "most interventions lack robust evidence — be sceptical." His "Master Argument": Low priors (few "magic bullets" like antibiotics), biased evidence (publication skews positive 25%), malleable methods (cherry-picked metas inflate effects 20%), and harm underreporting, justify low confidence. For chronic ills (depression, hypertension), benefits are tiny (e.g., antidepressants: 2-3 extra responders/10); risks (suicidality, dependency) loom large.

These stats scream nihilism: If systems kill 250k+ in the US alone, why trust the next pill? Stegenga urges "gentle medicine," nutrition, exercise, empathy, reserving interventions for high-stakes cases. AI? Promising: Harvard-MIT studies show it outperforms docs in diagnostics, without ego.

Reckoning: From Arrogance to Accountability

The numbers are a siren: Doctors, humbled by hubris, must embrace transparency, mandatory error reporting, pharma divestment, AI integration. Patients: Arm yourselves with scepticism; question the script; do your own research. Medicine saves, but unchecked, it can slay. Nihilism/sceptism isn't despair — it's the spark for better healing.

https://www.naturalnews.com/2025-11-25-doctors-kill-more-people-than-ten-holocausts.html