Candian Doctors vs. Guns

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I know you've seen the American numbers, but here's the stats from our nothern friends...

Subject: Guns vs Physicians

Doctors

1. The number of doctors in Canada is 700,000

2. Accidental deaths caused by physicians per year are 120,000

3. Accidental deaths per physician is 17.14%

Statistics courtesy of the Canadian Dept of Health & Human Services

Guns:

1. The number of guns owned in Canada is 80,000,000 (yes that's 80 million)

2. The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is 1,500

3. The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is 0.001875%

Statistics courtesy of the RCMP

So statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous
than gun owners. Remember, guns don't kill people, doctors do.

FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT
LEAST ONE DOCTOR.

Please alert your friends to this alarming threat. We must ban doctors
before this gets completely out of hand!!!

Out of concern for the public at large, I have withheld statistics on
lawyers for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek medical
attention. Then we would be in real trouble.
 
Cateat Emptor!

A similar piece using the exact same numbers has been circulating for some time, except that it's supposed to be for the US, so I seriously doubt that any of this actually applies to our neighbors to the north. Of course, the numbers are terrible out of date for the US. Here are some more up to date numbers with actual sources:

# Accidental Firearm Deaths: 762 (data for 2002; from CDC, National Center for Injury Precention and Control http://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/mortrate.html)

# Firearms: 84,665,690 handguns, 235,604,001 total guns (data for 1994; from Gary Kleck, Targeting Guns, Table 3.1, compilation of numerous original sources. Excludes military.)

Deaths / Firearm: 0.0009% handguns or 0.00032% total guns.

# Physicians: 737,504 (data for 2002; from American Medical Association, Physician Characteristics and Distribution in the U.S., 2002-2003; Active physicians only.)

# Accidental Deaths: 98,000 annually (estimated from Patient Safety in American Hospitals, Health Grades 2004. A 1990 Harvard Medical School study estimated a range of values over 100,000, probably the source for the 120,000 number in the original)

Deaths / Physician: 13.29%.

Ratio: 14,767 (physicians to handgun), 41,531 (physicians to total guns)

Oh, yeah, did I mention under the occupation thread that I'm Research Director for a consulting firm. :eek:

Ken
 
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