Dowling: We Need to Take a Holistic Approach to ‘Gun Violence’

  Health is a lot more than the absence of illness. And promoting health is a lot more than dealing with medical care. We have to be much more holistic in our approach. And gun violence prevention’s part of it. The effect of guns is not measured by the 41,000 deaths. That’s easy to measure, … Read more

Could the Public Health System Really Deal With ‘Gun Violence’?

By Mark PA Public health methods could have enormous power to mitigate the scourge of firearm mortality and morbidity. But only if faithfully applied. One of the earliest and most profound examples were Dr. John Snow’s actions in the 1854 London cholera outbreak. This incident killed 616 people, occurred in the midst of the 1846 – 1860 … Read more

When Public Health Officials Lie in the Service of Gun Control

By MarkPA While waiting in my doctor’s office I chanced to pick up the November 2017 edition of Smithsonian magazine.  As a quasi-governmental entity, this journal speaks with more than a modicum of authority. John M. Barry, the author of “Journal of the Plague Year” writes of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50 … Read more

Quote of the Day: Focusing on the Real Problem

“There’s no evidence of a public health issue associated with hearing loss from gunfire. There is evidence of a public health crisis from gun violence, and we think that’s where legislative efforts should be directed.” – The Brady Campaign’s Kristin Brown in Hill Republicans try to ease purchase of gun ‘silencers,’ as NRA-backed Trump arrives [via foxnews.com]