Newspapers / The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.) / May 27, 1976, edition 1 / Page 2
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??MOHMv- MR" It*; " . ) Editorial Views Progress in research v> m The Council for Tobacco Research USA, .his just announced that sigoiflbaft progress is being made in the sagrcb for the cause or causes of emphysCrtia and for ways to detect persons who may have an inherited susceptibility to this crippling hmg disease. The council was organized in 1964 and thftugh last December, had approved numerous research projects totaling more than $35 million for 336 independent scientists in 227 medical schools, hospitals and research institutions. The latest report shows 78 research papers'" published in scientific journals last year. So far some 1,340 papers have been published. The researchers have found evidence indicating that emphysema proteases somehow become decontrolled and literally "digest" the proteins in the lung's elastic structural material. The council has been supporting research by independent scientists into the questions rained about tobacco use and health. The focus has been chiefly on cancer, heart disease, and chronic pulmonary ailments such as emphysema. Fresh clues have^been found by researchers, which have resulted in a strong wave of new interest and activity in this obscure and baffling field. We can never underestimate the value of research in many kindred fields of medicine. One day there will likely be known cures for almost all of those which now baffle society. Learning the metric system In an election year, it seems everything that happens in state government is affected by politics. Even tide metric system. One.4* Of the brighter ideas developed by the State Department of Public Instruction was to have dual road signs around the state. Then, motorists could get used to the idea of having signs telling them the speed limit in kilometers per hour, and distances in kilometers as well as miles. But Public Instruction is under the leadership of Democrat Craig Phillips, and the Department of Transportation has been under Republican rule for the past three years. Such signs would cost too much, cause motorist confusion, create unnecessary work for highway ci|ews, etc. A couple were posted in the vicinity of the Research Triangle Park, but not widely. Then, educators needed a public boost to call attention to the up coming conversion to metrics. But Republican Gov James E. Holshouser Jr. couldn't break away from his busy schedule to proclaim Metric Week. Nonetheless, conversion to metrics is underway with the national law signed into effect last December, and with state textbooks and classrooms slated for full use of metrics by 1981. The key to it, says Robert R. Jones, director of mathematics at the Department of Public Instruction, is to "think metrics." Conversion should be avoided. Don't try to remember how many pounds make a kilogram... just learn to use metric scales and thermometers so the figures become comfortable, Jones says. > For youngsters, it might be easy. The hard part is for grownups who must unlearn the old in order to learn the new. 'Bottle bills' controversal Since I960, when the U. S. soft drink and beer industries began putting most of their beverages into cans and "no-deposit, no return" botfUes, we've added millions of tons of crash to our national garbage can. We. are now using about 60 billion throwaways, accounting for nine million Urns of garbage, a year. And no fraveler need be told that a large percentage of these throwaways find their way each year to the national roadside, where they remain as eyesores and health hazards. Vft things needn't be that way, reppt * March Reader's Digest aiifle. Two states ? Vermont and Oregon ? have reduced litter dilunatically in recent years by introducing stringent laws banning thgowaway bottles and cans. This kifcd of legislation?which has come tope krtown as "the bottle bill" - led tola cfepesit-and-refund system on bttar and carbonated soft-drink ctmtainers, including cam. the laws have been successful. 0|e study indicated that Oregon's I bweragetrash was down 83 percent I wWbin two years after the bottle trill, rfaorts that can and bottle litter Conversion to refutable bottle systems would cost industry billions, would throw from 60,000 to 160,000 people out of work, and would cost consumers a fortune as beverage prices increase to cover the con version costs to industry. These are the claims of the beverage industry, backed by can and glass makers, beer wholesalers and some large unions active in related industries. Nonsense! say consumer groups, / supported by such diverse organizations as the Environmental Protection Agency (which wants a federal bottle bill), the National League of Cities, the U. S. Con ference of Mayors, the League of Women Voters and the United Auto Workers. Initial conversion coots, they say, will be compensated for in future years by lower costs per filling as .refillables replace throwaways. Authors Earl and Miriam Selby quote a 1971 study concluding "that changing from throwaways to refillables would save consumers about $1.4 billion a year." And regarding the unemployment question, advocates say that while there would be some job dislocation (principally in the container field), jobs would be created in the aroas of beverage manufacture and distribution. MA?l<lAnia fhM \7 IIM Meanwhile, rmowts w vcrmom and Oregon are enthusiastic about their bottle bills Every attempt to t J V /~s ... , Qtf : 0 ... 'u/l ? .! ' - 3 Mi n . j oval Ma? 99 KEEP 'EM A tM Assembly sidesteps battle An almost certain showdown between lawyers pleading "right to sue" and legislators speaking far physicians pleading "immunity" was avoided in North Carolina's new malpractice law. The end result of the new law is that little is changed. Up until the last minute, the proposal submitted to the General Assembly still con tained two controversial elements: ?a mutual fund to be drawn on for awards in excess of $100,000; to be held by the State Treasurer and defended by the Attorney General; ?a method whereby a large jury a ward could be apread out in periodic payments to "protect" the winning plaintiff from his own folly. WOULDN'T FLY Just before the legislative session opened. Dr. John R. Gamble Jr., D-Lincoln, con ceded that the proposals "have things in them that won't fly... we're going back to the drawing boards." What emerged from the further study was a package which most experts consider a "token gesture" to the medical people. State Sen. Thomas H. ; Suddarth, D-pavidson County, was from the outset the most outspoken critic of the various steps proposed in the malpractice situation. He first called for a medical-legal review board and pushed unsuccessfully for that. Throughout he argued loud and long that proposed changes would take away the rights of minors to sue; would remove elements necessary to win a case; would set up a psychological barrier to jurors faced with paying out of the Treasurer's Office funds defended by the Attorney General; and would create numerous barriers to the Constitutional right to seek court redress of a wrong. As a member of the com mission, he delivered himself of a minority report as the lone dissenter and urged that the assembly take no action in haste on such a ticklish sub ject. 8TAY QUIET Suddarth remained quiet in Assembly debate, and only after it was all over did be comment: "I believe my goal was accomplished. I do not think the law will have any appreciable effect on the public's legal rights. "My goal has been all along that we help the health care providers without hurting people, and this has been accomplished without neediest sacrifice of a basic right of dtisens," Suddarth said. Suddarth thinks the mutual fund as finally established will work to reduce malpractice insurance rates, while providing some competition for the insurance companies? both plusses in his estimation. Overall, the new law does change the time limit in which suit can be filed to three years in the case of an obvious in jury; but allows up to 10 years for suits involving foreign objects left in the body, and four years for "hidden" in juries. For minors, the statute of limitations runs until a year after they become adults. While case history statistics are sketchy, insurance company figures tend to show that the new time limits exceed the usual times involved in actual suits in the past. The partial-payment plan was scuttled, anil the mutual' fund to be made up of money paid in by health care providers will be run by an independent board. Thus, the physician will buy insurance for $100,000 and participate in the fund for coverage above that. On the question of standard of-care, the new law says expert testimony supporting the plaintiff must come from someone "familiar with" the usual practice in a similar community; not necessarily barring an imported expert. Two other elements com plete the package: extension of the "good Samaritan" protection of law to health care 1 providers other than 1 physicians who seek to help in an emergency; and a restriction on making public the amount sought in a suit. Legislative sessionj ?assises isrSLrrr* ? hJIiJii? OH for The private officee, back belli and coffee sbope have complaining than uaual by member* who fait frustrated by the time pressures the hardbai] politics being played, and the system whereby most members were left out of the decisions until finally asked to vote approval so the session could adjourn and go home. A few random sampling. & legislative grousing will illustrate the problem. "I know now why they called it a mini-session; that stands for minimum input from members," said a veteran member of the House of Representatives "They asked us to come down a couple of weeks early and butcher the hog. We did. Then when the session opened we discovered they had given away the hams and left livermush," complained a member of the House Base Budget Committee. The reference is to the hard cutting done by that com mittee, only to have the money spent for new or expanded programs. "I want to know who these leaders are who are making all the decisions," fussed a veteran senator, who con sidered himself a leader, upon reading a newspaper report that the leadership had reached agreement on the pay raise question. Two major problems plagued this assembly, and a host of legislators are vowing never to allow such elements to combine again; 1. Legislators seeking re daction face an Aug. 17 s Primary, and several also are I geared up for higher races; I severe pressure was exerted to I move rapidly through the I session's business. To do that, both House and I Senate reversed the usual I Procedure in which ideas and I Proposals are percolated up I from the bottom, through I committees, onto the floor,and I into law. The proposals were I generated at the top and I P?ahed downward for hasty I approval. I Things were changed I overnight; nothing would I stick; members felt betrayed I at times and blackmailed at I others. And the rapidly wor sening ill-relationship between I House and Senate leaders only I made the problem worse. 2. Lt. Gov. James B. Hunt j Jr., is running for governor- I House Speaker James C. I Green is running for lieutenant I governor; and two representatives ? Carl Stewart and Billy Watkins ? I ?rein a bitter fight for election I u speaker of the bouse in the I 1977-78 session. numerous I ambitions eme^edl, putting forth proposals or.I **"iTltadnotafrealfrfiledfor ^ particularly able | is on the important com mittees involved and is con sidered a member of the elite leadership group, but his first hand look at the political jockeying and bitter feuding was Upset ting A solution to the problems created by the May session must be carefully thought through by legislators, but already prominently men tioned are safeguards against allowing an assembly session and a campaign to run so closely together; chug wo in the method of choosing committee chairmen and other leadership people so that power would not be con centrated so completely; and * guarantees that future sessions ha ve sufficient time to allow membership par ticipation in committee study and debate instead of proposals already written and agreed upon from the top being submitted for a rubber, stamping. ^ Health ? sfi Education ! Program The Health Education Program is another service of Madison County Health Department. Hie goal of the . health education program is to help people develop necessary attitudes, knowledge and practices so they can achieve an optimal state of health for themselves, their family and j their community. Public health eaucauon involves the communication of health information to in dividuals, groups and the general public through the use of patient, school and com munity health education ; programs, educational materials, audio-visual materials, news media and other resources. The health t educator is available to all county schools, agencies, community groups and organisations for programs concerning health in-" formation, films, educational literature and other resource materials concerning health. J Anyone interested in a. program or educational! materials concerning health information or services provided by the Health Department should contact Madison County Health Department at MMS31. The News-Record NON?PARTISAN IN POUTIC8 JAMBS L STORY, Editor Published Weekly By MadMon County Publishing Co . he. BOX 3S7 MARSHALL N.C. 28753 SET Mto :vi Water Syatemi 18 Years Experience m ? FOR QUICK SERVICE ? CALL JOE PRICE ? S PRICE WELL i S & PUMP CO. ^ CLYDE, N.C. ?? ? Call CeUect 887-2817 JJ j? help 1 beat i inflation Nationwide Insurance has an answer to the high cost of inflation. It's Nationwide Homeowner's Insurance with built-in inflation protection. Baaed on U.S. Department of Commerce cost index figures. Nationwide auto matically adjusts your coverage each month?so that your home is covered today for what it's worth today. Call your Nationwide agent now for details. Roy E. Reeves Box 902 MarxhiH, N. CaroNna 2S7S3 1 649-2011 SI INSURANCE Nationwide m on your Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance Co. Home Office. Columbus, Ohio FOR ANY PURPOS^ i new car loans recreational^ vehicle I loans ' home I improvement ) loons r educational chedtloan -MT' ' '?vy- I personal loans O Ffrst Union National
The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.)
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May 27, 1976, edition 1
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