Today’s Washington Post includes an article about a case arising from  the death of a college freshman under the care of poorly supervised, overworked and highly fatigued young doctors. The resulting malpractice litigation set in motion a series of reforms, most notably a series of work hour limitations instituted by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), that have revolutionized modern medical education.  The result will likely save countless lives by making the clinical training of young doctors less of an exercise in hazing and sleep deprivation which leads inevitably to gross errors of judgment.