The Daily Alaska empire., 1947-12-09
Debunking the Debunkers
Cincinnati Fnnnirerl

Articles of medical nature evidently are of uni i versa appeal. more than magazine news paper has found out. And. thanks to the much greater publicity given in recent years to medical practice and to the experiments and discoveries of medical science, the public health undoubtedly has been improved Individual practitioners frankly are kept much more their toes: longer can they lag comfortably years behind techniques and prescrip tions Of course, they have to contend with ex- of supposed information the part of the public
 People will read about technique drug which has shown value in very limited experiment. sometimes merely laboratory animals-and they will demand that their doctor try it them. Or worse yet will try themselves if it is available Federal law happily prevents the across counter sale of most really dangerous drugs, if except the drugs that harmless to most people but might cause severe alereic reactions in the cases of others
 On balance, however we think the more responsi- be reporters of medical news are performing real public service And their work is scarcely more liable misinterpreaton by the public than those writers who work from the other angle and sell long articles many cents a word "debunkng the latest trends in drugs or technques And, in the long run. they perhaps cause greater harm than the "Oh, my gosh! type of writer.
 We recall one article "debunking' sulfathiazole and it's kindred drugs agents against infection, in saves to be used cuts and so forth It dealt quite urdly with the allergic reactions possible in some There are. to be sure people with extreme sensitivity to the sulfas. and, whether they ad ministered under doctors supervision not persons with known allergies should approach them cautiously But the fact remains that for the great ma jority of people sulfathiazoe salve is wonderfully effective antiseptc in conditions which permit of home treat ment We don't know how many people have been frightened away from the benefits of the sufas by such articles but certainly against the of al lergc reaction (which seldom serious if the use of the offending drug is discontinued must be bal anced the greater dangers of untreated cuts.
 Another article "debunked' mineral oil, valuable internal lubricant We didn't read this particular article but the popular impression it created not in line with the facts and greatly overemphaszed the tendency of mineral oil to interfere with vtamin absorption Many people evidently therefore frightened away from relatively harmless temporary constipation palliative Cand perhaps wound up doing other things much for their health) when any diminshment of vtamin intake could easily De come by the vitamin supplements which are common parts of the diet today
 And again speaking of the net impression left among the public the latest article "debunking" treat as good. The common cold" of course, is virus infection Chappily self limiting, and medical science has no specific for any virus aiment dnfantie paralysis being another example,. But the original common cold is not inherently dangerous, except in solar as it may unlock the door of the boys resist ance to secondary infection by strepococcus, staphy loccus pneumococcus and other dangerous bacteria When your doctor treats the common cold therefore his concern is to check the invasons of such bac tera which lead to respiratory ais, sinus infection and whatnot And while there drugs which affect the virus of the cold there effective agents including the socalled wonder drugs
 which do kill prevent the multiplication Of the other bacteria.