Recently I had the opportunity to play in the pit band for the Broadway show, “Fiddler on the Roof” presented by the Susquehanna Community High School Drama Department. Granted, the high school actors, singers, and musicians have the talent and support of their parents, but the leadership of the Play Director/Musical Director, Mrs. Teresa Morino brought out the very best of these performers.

Despite the fact that she had to deal with many setbacks which included personnel and severe weather problems, I never witnessed Mrs. Marino ever losing her “cool”. The junior high students filled in admirably with their characters which are usually played by upperclassmen. Having a director with a deep supply of music friends, who are willing to volunteer their time and talent to play in her pit band, is certainly an asset Mrs. Marino possesses. She, in turn, plays in the “pits” for many of her pit band friends who are also play directors at their own respected schools.

I have played in many “pits” and I witnessed the respect shown by the directors toward their students and students toward their leaders. The performers and crew listened and tried to accomplish what was asked of them; sometimes successfully-sometimes unsuccessfully. Nowhere did I hear any insults uttered by either side. The experience was very pleasant for me. During rehearsals, the actors, when they were not on stage, either were sitting in the audience doing homework or off by themselves learning their parts; there was no fooling around observed. This did not just happen magically--it was taught and expected by Mrs. Marino.

With the recent negative news reports concerning a few of our educators, it is, indeed, refreshing to observe a very talented educator doing her job. I hope the Susquehanna Community School District tax payers and Administration appreciate the “extra” little/big things that Mrs. Marino, her parent helpers, and a her little merry band of talented students do.

Thank you, Mrs. Teresa Marino for bringing Broadway to the Susquehanna Community.

Sincerely,

C. Robert Orner

Montrose, PA

Excluding heart disease and cancer, what's the greatest threat to you life? A car fatality? No. How about being the victim of a violent crime? No, again. Well, then, what about an imaginary triple combat tour in Afghanistan? Not even close. It's doctors.

“In the United States an estimated 225,000 deaths per year have iatrogenic [physician] causes, with only heart disease and cancer causing more deaths,” according to Wikipedia. Other sources cite 240,000 deaths where treatment was terminal.

To understand how truly horrific this number is we'll use WW II as a yardstick.

The U.S. suffered 292,000 fatalities during the four-year global conflict. Using Wikipedia's conservative estimate for the same time frame today, 900,000 will have lost their lives because of medical intervention.

Incredible? Absolutely. But, nevertheless, true. There are three major causes of death by doctors: adverse drug reactions, medical errors, and unnecessary procedures. We'll examine each. First . . . .Adverse drug reactions. They account for an annual 106,000 deaths. Not fatalities caused by doctors prescribing the wrong drugs, or pharmacists' errors, or patients overdosing on prescription drugs.

These patients took a Rx drug exactly as the doctor directed, and died.

Why? Pharmaceuticals are inherently dangerous. They are man-made, non-biological chemicals that the body is not equipped to digest, assimilate, or excrete.

If you're one of the 65 percent of Americans taking a prescription drug, you might be interested in knowing the difference between a drug's intended effect and its side effects. There. Isn't. Any.

The therapeutic effect and the side effects of a drug are subjectively determined by the drug's manufacturer. The effect that shows the greatest promise of profitability is promoted to the “major” effect.

Many times the so-called side effects are so severe that another drug is prescribed to suppress the effects of the first drug. It's the beginning of a mirthless ride on the drug merry go 'round that can lead to a shelf full of what are euphemistically called “medicines.”

Drug-related deaths are also caused by the 90 percent of doctors who are, to some degree beholden to a drug company. Some are rewarded with an all-expense-paid trip to a “seminar” in an exotic beach-front location, others are invited to be a guest speaker at an upscale golf course with a lucrative honorarium, while a few are paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for authoring or signing a study citing the efficacy of a particular drug.

In short, when some doctors prescribe a drug they may be thinking of their welfare rather than yours.

Number 2 of the deadly trio are medical errors. An estimated 98,000 die annually because of mistakes made in hospitals, largely by doctors, but including nurses as well. And that's probably a conservative assessment.

In 2010, the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services cited poor hospital care as the cause for 180,000 deaths annually. And even that figure may be too timid.

According to a recent issue of the Journal of Patient Safety, between 210,000 and 440,000 patients suffered some type of preventable harm that resulted in their deaths.

Last on the medical hit list are unnecessary medical procedures. They are responsible for 37,000 deaths. This can be bifurcated to defensive medicine and monetary gain.

Defensive medicine are procedures designed to prevent legal action or to provide a defense against it. In 2005, one survey showed that as many as 93 percent of doctors were ordering tests, drugs, or procedures to protect themselves from patient malpractice suits.

Additionally, there are monetary gains in ordering tests. This is especially so in hospitals where large investments in medical equipment can only be paid for by their use.

So what are we to conclude: doctors are serial killers in white smocks, hospitals are charnel houses, and drugs should be tossed into a briar patch? Far from it.

For catastrophic trauma, reconstructive and cosmetic surgery, rehabilitative medicine, and drugs to control pain and infection, American medicine is par excellent. We are fortunate to have it. But like everything else it has its pitfalls and the landings can be very hard.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins

New Milford, PA