AB - Wednesday, December 19, 1984 - North Shore News Welcome to the club, doc! Was never IME WAS WHEN A DOCTOR'S WORD challenged. worse, we went and had needles stuck into For better or tor us, were cured or khillec, and suffered no mental pains in the process. We touched our ftorelocks and hoped for the best, and the medicos lived in peace Today, t's different: Doctors have to sutter almost. as much ftlak as we poor scrib- blers do Welcome to the club, doe Televisron is one reason for this, with ats medical pro- grams The medically bizarre is another, with baboons los- ing their hearts to babies, ete But the biggest reason is that what used to appear only in medical journals now ap Pears in popular magazines And the doctors are blowing the patt on themselves The most startling example of this appears in the current issued of Arluntic Mueuzine Dr Thomas A Preston blows the gatt on the most fashionable operation of all — the jolly old cor- onary bypass — the one in which they swipe an aftlerly from your leg and wrap it around your heart And he should know what he's talk- ing about, being chiel of car- diology at) Pacitig Medical Centre and = professor of medicine at the Lniversity of Washington Most people believe that the operation is the emehth wonder of the world. and that without at there'd be a fot more souls in heaven. of the other place. than there get this straight by Doug Collins are But the good doctor says itasn’t so. For the most part, he says, the medical protes- sions conning us bor bucks Or because tt believes its own press releases “The operation doves not cure Patients, is scandalouslys overused, and drains resources from other areas of need A decade of scientific study has shown that except in certain well-defined situa- tions ... those who are treated for coronary-aflery disease withoul surgery enjoy the same survival rates as those who undergo open-heart Surgery °° He lists several categories of heart patients who don't need heart surgery any more says, only about 1} per cem will live longer as a result The doctor says that the medical protession should stop kidding itself and the publ about the coronary bypass, and asks the tollow- iNg questions: Do people realize that. on the average, the operation does not prolong lite or pre- vent heart attacks? Do they know of the dangers associated with the operation itself, including 4 five per cent risk of a heart attack on the table, a two per cent risk of dying, and about a lO per cent risk of serious complication, such as a stroke, weakening of the heart muscle, or infection? cure but only palhates? American surgeons are on to a good thing with all thes, charging an average of $5,000 per operation. In Canada, it’s much less — about $1,100) But af Dr Preston ois right, many medical men simply don't know all the angles involved That's a bit) worrisome, because every third guy who's over 50 seems to me to have had his heart mucked about with in this way. But Preston says that while in a minority of tnstances the operation may be beneficial, in most wo has no effect. How do you like these apples, for instance | have a close triend who than they need the proverbial hole in the head, yet get ut because so many doctors are sold on the idea Ot the peo ple who are operated on, he Are they aware that unless they are suffering trequent of severe angina, they may sul ter net harm trom the opera tron? Do patients understand that the operation does not had the operation, he having been told he was a walking umb-bomb Let's hope he’s one otf the TL per cent tor whom rl was necessary tHHave a heart, doc El mailbox ><) Collins showing he’s tired Dear b-ditor Re Doug Collins’ article “Forty years is too long to hate!" Hate isn't the issue! Writing inane tdeas in a newspaper column in order to stir up the bigots and sell Papers, ts Mr Collins can't be asin sensitive to human suttering as tO suggest to the Jewish people that they forget the Holocaust or that the relent less champion of justice, Simon Wiesenthal. should find another job Mr Col ins as oa person who would Be brave and keep Collins Deat b ditort I want to indicate inv sup port tor Doug Collins Hers a COUrapeous writer and com mentalor Today wants to silence those on the CN CEN ONE right whose criteismi ps a little more than a wet noodle treat ment for the left It Sale ts bag predomiurnans ANVOtC ste ceeds its Tykes act Pat Porc det . the Voce Collins vad Barras sa atl Porpet Spee h Dba te war cet h ba Pree horrty ter ager wart hoe eetudbacetya bh Nee uades rt yee Pde bochite nt ' ' Prealize vou may be under pressure to tor NOt men of Courage dao not eaxcr deny turther Space Collins. tut at cise. treedonm art specs hi foot teal purposes where Qoes at teally cxist LoMespe ry weeds Up Ar a Bees keep ND 6 Fo Cina Ce ce 0 L ‘ nn eee Dderaplaas FEC beantec Nive tovctat Extirpate the prof NV ee ae tt teen. Niet NV ave crane Don’t Cave in about Collins ta eee oo tte West Viameouse have us believe that if tord Olsen had not caught) and convicted” tor those hideous murders he (Cilfford Olsen) committed, we should, after a period of Clit. been time, sav to the victims’ families “*Never mind, enough vears have passed Doug right on Ethiopia Dear Editor Doug Collins’ timely arti cle on Ethiopia neglected to mention that tobuting only Russia is con One per cent of the mterndtional aid. that when food arrives it gaat be loaded on ter Rarssnat Traps aud tee dediveredd tes Roissiagn drivers Nise daarutag a Sittiriea Soyitiraee Hig tt fan {ok Borriprctes bate Ne ras ste biaaed abyers be a re Sw: teaniko oo erqiis> veto tie le fe pope ty Woo et reiie! Vetta ve oh vt } 1 big 1 wetted ' en ' ian te. [2 i eet Per Te Noth Nisan cra FIRST! foor MICROWAVE OVENS INCREDIBLE SELECTION TH CONFIDENCE ’ ' ts ss BUY wi ’ ‘ i? ‘ , cry ha bs ag ‘ | Pa COLONY HOMIE. 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