JAMA Revisited November 22, 1971
Thanksgiving One of the rules of the game is that editorials in medical journals should be timely, if not scientific or relevant (hackneyed word), or they should be anticipatory. In August 1971, writing about Thanksgiving Day therefore poses problems. In December 1621 the Plymouth colonists had reason to be grateful for the ending of a difficult year and for a successful harvest. Now, 350 years later, what have we to be thankful for? Pakistan and India are said to be on the brink of war; the Middle East, like the Balkans of 60 years ago, is a powder keg; and the war in Southeast Asia plagues us. Hearts are throbbing for men on the moon, and the world worries about the outcome of the President’s visit to China. Daddy Warbucks’ life is again direly threatened. A corn blight is spreading, and predictions vary about its effect. Even housemaids are discussing ecology as they work with the detergents they’ve read about. The railroads are struck, and the first nationwide steel strike in 12 years has been narrowly averted but not without severe economic loss. The wrong teams are in first places for the people in 20 or more cities. Chicago’s Kennedy expressway is a mess. The Dow Jones Industrial index is slumping, the US balance of export-import payments is in the red, and another large national budget deficit has been forecast. Prices continue rising. Unemployment and underemployment are more than a nuisance; in Minneapolis airplane pilots are driving buses, teaching school, or doing manual labor. Chicagoans are threatened with a 20% real estate tax increase; and in California and Georgia, thousands face unemployment because of Lockheed Corporation’s imminent bankruptcy.
Editor’s Note: JAMA Revisited is transcribed verbatim from articles published previously, unless otherwise noted. 2172
In medicine all is not well. Physicians are accused of making too much money while they work themselves to early death striving to catch up. There are grave concerns. The drug abuse pandemic—how to contend with it? The conquest of cancer campaign—dream or nightmare? Money for academic medical centers, RMPs, HMOs, national health insurance now and later—whither? In spite of all that seems lamentable or cause for anxiety, now or past, nevertheless we can give thanks. Problems exist only for the solving. Let us be thankful for the God-given intelligence that promises right action in the face of adversity. JAMA. 1971;218(8):1296-1296.
February 14, 1972
Thankfulness Unlimited To the Editor.—In your excellent “Thanksgiving” Editorial (218: 1296, 1971), of 18 catastrophies [sic] that you mention, nine of them haven’t happened yet. Shouldn’t we be thankful for that? Of nine that have happened, four aren’t really so bad. Housemaids are talking about detergents, but they could (and have) talked about worse; the Chicago Kennedy expressway is a mess, but then it always has been; the railroads are on strike, but they claim they operate at a deficit, so they must save money when they don’t; and I know one airline pilot that doesn’t really care what kind of work he is doing because he is so thankful for his wonderful parents. How’s that for intelligence in the face of adversity! THOMAS J. O’DONNELL, SJ Clinton, NC JAMA. 1972;219(7):912-912.
Section Editor: Jennifer Reiling, Assistant Editor.
JAMA November 26, 2014 Volume 312, Number 20
Copyright 2014 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
Downloaded From: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/ by a Eastern Kentucky University User on 05/23/2015
jama.com
Thanksgiving One of the rules of the game is that editorials in medical journals should be timely, if not scientific or relevant (hackneyed word), or they should be anticipatory. In August 1971, writing about Thanksgiving Day therefore poses problems. In December 1621 the Plymouth colonists had reason to be grateful for the ending of a difficult year and for a successful harvest. Now, 350 years later, what have we to be thankful for? Pakistan and India are said to be on the brink of war; the Middle East, like the Balkans of 60 years ago, is a powder keg; and the war in Southeast Asia plagues us. Hearts are throbbing for men on the moon, and the world worries about the outcome of the President’s visit to China. Daddy Warbucks’ life is again direly threatened. A corn blight is spreading, and predictions vary about its effect. Even housemaids are discussing ecology as they work with the detergents they’ve read about. The railroads are struck, and the first nationwide steel strike in 12 years has been narrowly averted but not without severe economic loss. The wrong teams are in first places for the people in 20 or more cities. Chicago’s Kennedy expressway is a mess. The Dow Jones Industrial index is slumping, the US balance of export-import payments is in the red, and another large national budget deficit has been forecast. Prices continue rising. Unemployment and underemployment are more than a nuisance; in Minneapolis airplane pilots are driving buses, teaching school, or doing manual labor. Chicagoans are threatened with a 20% real estate tax increase; and in California and Georgia, thousands face unemployment because of Lockheed Corporation’s imminent bankruptcy.
Editor’s Note: JAMA Revisited is transcribed verbatim from articles published previously, unless otherwise noted. 2172
In medicine all is not well. Physicians are accused of making too much money while they work themselves to early death striving to catch up. There are grave concerns. The drug abuse pandemic—how to contend with it? The conquest of cancer campaign—dream or nightmare? Money for academic medical centers, RMPs, HMOs, national health insurance now and later—whither? In spite of all that seems lamentable or cause for anxiety, now or past, nevertheless we can give thanks. Problems exist only for the solving. Let us be thankful for the God-given intelligence that promises right action in the face of adversity. JAMA. 1971;218(8):1296-1296.
February 14, 1972
Thankfulness Unlimited To the Editor.—In your excellent “Thanksgiving” Editorial (218: 1296, 1971), of 18 catastrophies [sic] that you mention, nine of them haven’t happened yet. Shouldn’t we be thankful for that? Of nine that have happened, four aren’t really so bad. Housemaids are talking about detergents, but they could (and have) talked about worse; the Chicago Kennedy expressway is a mess, but then it always has been; the railroads are on strike, but they claim they operate at a deficit, so they must save money when they don’t; and I know one airline pilot that doesn’t really care what kind of work he is doing because he is so thankful for his wonderful parents. How’s that for intelligence in the face of adversity! THOMAS J. O’DONNELL, SJ Clinton, NC JAMA. 1972;219(7):912-912.
Section Editor: Jennifer Reiling, Assistant Editor.
JAMA November 26, 2014 Volume 312, Number 20
Copyright 2014 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
Downloaded From: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/ by a Eastern Kentucky University User on 05/23/2015
jama.com
