Sunday Quotation

“I mean, a man has to stand for something.” James Woodard, wrongfully convicted of killing his girlfriend 27 years ago, on why he did not lie and admit his guilt during one of the twelve times he came up for parole. The full story is on 60 Minutes.

Violence as a Public Health Issue

Can we think of issues related to violent crime as basically similar to that of a contagious disease?  This is the question an article in the N.Y. Times Magazine (“Blocking the Transmission of Violence“) attempts to answer. Violence may spread like an epidemic; murders lead to revenge killings, which lead to more revenge killings.  Stopping…

Ghostwriting by Pharmaceutical Companies

Academic journals are places where medical practitioners can go to view the latest, most cutting-edge, medical technologies. These journals are peer reviewed and are supposed to be places where rigorous, unbiased research is conducted. Some of these articles may not be as unbiased as once thought. NPR’s Marketplace reports (“Drug Companies…“) that drug companies have…

The Dental Cartel

The New York Times reports (“Dental Clinics…“) that the American Dental Association’s branch in Alaska has filed a lawsuit to stop dental therapists from practicing.  “The dental associations say they simply want to be sure that patients do not receive substandard care. But some dentists in public health programs contend that dentists in private practice…