HEALING ALL WHO SUFFER

To the Editors of The Crimson:

In his letter to The Crimson of May 10, 1974, Mr. P.S. Hogness perverts logic to show that an Air Force doctor is really destroying human lives and not saying them. I wish to point out that a doctor always heals--he has pledged to do this whether in a civilian or military situation. It is no "accidental by-product" then that doctors in the military save lives. It is their duty.

This is not to say that all doctors should be military doctors. Certainly not all doctors are suited to military life. Some simply may not wish to be tainted by association with the military. The military is, after all, a fighting machine.

Yet to suggest that healing in the military is somehow immoral for a doctor is ridiculous. Is it less moral to treat a wounded airman or soldier than a civilian? I hardly think so. To even suggest it is an insult to the medical profession's vow to heal all who suffer. Mark F. Cancian '73   2/Lt. USMC