Wrongful Blame: Sidney Wolfe, the Ralph Nader of American medicine, says that bad doctors are responsible for the malpractice crisis. He lists the numbers of doctors sued in each state that has had recent crises as if that's proof that the doctors are the problem. But in truth, each of those states has a tradition of aggressive trial lawyers, which, of course, drives up the rate of suits, and the rate of settlements. Being taken to court, or even losing or settling a case, isn't necessarily proof of bad medicine. Obstetricians are sued most often for cerebral palsy, which is something beyond their control most of the time. But, then, I don't expect Mr. Wolfe to be critical of the role of trial lawyers, since his organization, Public Citizen Health Research Group, is an arm of Nader's Public Citizen, which has tight financial ties to the AmericanTrial Lawyer Association.