Since Paul Starr’s classic, The Social Transformation of American Medicine (1982), described the long struggle for medical “authority,” intrusions upon physicians’ “scope-of-practice” by naturopaths, chiropractors, midwives, optometrists, et al, has had a good historical accounting. It’s a continuing story: last year the AMA tracked more than 300 bills introduced, mainly in state legislatures, concerning scope-of-practice.  Much of the technology we follow in telemedicine, nanotechnology, digital devices, interpreting genomic profiles and molecular data mining suggest that the AMA’s lawyers, at least, can look forward to a golden age of employment.          MORE