An Addendum to the Mess
at Walter Reed.

Written by Peter Jucovy
and Evelyne Shuster to
The New York Times, May 1, 2007.

To the Editor:

We would add another dimension to Dr. Atul Gawande’s (“The Power of Negative Thinking,” New York Times, May 1) analysis of the deplorable conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

A tendency in American medicine is to glamorize victories in emergency treatment of trauma and disease while ignoring the equally important but less glitzy successes with disease prevention, chronic illness, rehabilitation, and psychic trauma. High-tech interventions that produce “miracles” command more recognition—and money for specialists and institutions that do them—than long-term, gritty follow-up for debilitated or mentally troubled patients.

To those of us in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), where such unglamorous fields have become major strengths, there is concern about protracted consequences of the war. Unlike Walter Reed, the VHA’s responsibility will be to provide continued care for Iraq casualties well into the future. But for now, VHA must bear that ultimate brunt of the patient surge with a stagnant budget and with inadequate guidance for transitioning injured soldiers into hospitals intended for veterans.

—Peter M. Jucovy, M.D.
—Evelyne Shuster, Ph.D.
—Philadelphia

Dr. Jucovy is head of the human research subjects protection program and Dr. Shuster is the medical ethicist at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

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The Other Side of Milk.

Written by Mark Langley to
The New York Times, May 12, 2007.

To the Editor:

I am writing in response to Kim Severson’s article entitled “Dairy Council to End Ad Campaign That Linked Drinking Milk With Weight Loss,” published by The New York Times on May 11, 2007.

It’s no surprise that the milk industry touted milk for weight loss—it thrives on deceptive and harmful advertisements. In truth, milk contains no fiber or complex carbohydrates and is loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol—hardly a diet food. “Calcium for strong bones?” Milk increases blood acidity, which makes bones leach calcium to neutralize it. And forget “It does a body good”: Milk, the mammary secretions of another species, is contaminated with cow blood and pus and frequently contains pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics. Dairy products are linked to allergies, cancer, heart disease, and, topically, obesity.

As for those ‘Happy Cows’: Intensive confinement, removal of male babies for the veal industry, and tail-docking would warrant felony cruelty-to-animals charges if dog and cat laws applied to farm animals.
The Dairy Council said they dropped the slogan to “give the consumers what’s new.” I can hardly wait.

— Mark Langley
—Garden City, NY

EDITOR’S NOTE:
In the United States the docking (partial amputation) of puppies tails continues to be legally practiced, though a movement against it is growing. In the UK, dog tail docking was effectively banned in 2006, with an exception for “working dogs.”

For those who would like to read more opinions on the topic of the health risks of milk, visit www.pcrm.org, the website of the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine.

Also, see John Robbins’ book, May All Be Fed: Diet for a New World.

Dr. Spock, in his later years, reversed his opinion on the value of milk as part of a child’s diet in his updating of his book,
Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care.

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posted on a daily basis.