Do you remember Dr. Alton Ochsner?

Back when cigarette smoking was advertised as being manly, and even good for your health, Dr. Ochsner was showing us a black lung from a smoker and a nice pink lung from a nonsmoker. HE pointed out that the black lung condition could and did lead to cancer. Seeing that, some people stopped smoking.

I was reminded of this when watching a television ad from a major tobacco company. The ad gives information to help people stop smoking. More important to the company, who can not advertise their smoking products, it give them brand name recognition which is very important to large companies.

The FCC, which has not learned how to control television smut, allows the company to blatantly run these ads. The tobacco company has the FCC in a dim-wiggle. I learned this from Fred Slodcroft. Fred is a janitor in the FCC office building in Gettysburg.

I said, “Fred, how are things going at the FCC?”

He leaned on his broom in expert fashion and said, “Those tobacco ads have us in a dim-wiggle.”

“Why’s that, Fred? The ads tell people not to smoke. That is good, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” said Fred Slodcroft, “but it also gives the company brand name recognition.”

I don’t think any of us are in a dim-wiggle about the damage caused by Katrina.

I talked to Sandra Murphy at the Ochsner Foundation in New Orleans. “For nearly 60 years, Ochsner has cared for residents in the greater New Orleans communities.

“The Ochsner main campus, which includes the hospital and clinic, are located in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, but Ochsner Clinic Foundation (OCF) has 24 clinics located throughout the region, including the North Shore and Baton Rouge.”

Sandra told me that three clinics were lost to Katrina with major damage to the hospital and other clinics. Read about the Foundation at http://www.ochsner.org/. You will find some interesting stories about the Clinic’s response to the storm and the subsequent conditions.

Right now the Foundation has major financial needs to supply the medical services required in the area. They are also raising money to rebuild the homes of their employees.

I had to wait a long time to reach a receptionist at the Foundation because of the heavy demand on their medical services.

You can contribute to the Ochsner Clinic Foundation by sending your donation to:

Ochsner Clinic Foundation (Jones article)
1514 Jefferson Highway
New Orleans, LA 70121
1-800-874-8984
1-504-842-3000

I’m an old man, but I knew that tobacco causes cancer because my parents taught me so long before Dr. Ochsner showed us the black and pink lungs. But Dr. Ochsner really brought the danger to everyone’s attention.

He was born in 1942 in Kimble, South Dakota. He graduated from the University of South Dakota and the Washington school of Medicine in St. Louis (where my Number 2 son is a pediatric anesthesiologist). At age 31, he became Chairman of the Surgery Clinic at Tulane University.

Sandra said that he died in 1984.

Remember Doctor Alton Ochsner and the people of New Orleans and the surrounding areas!

They still need more help.

The End by John T. Jones, Ph.D.

copyright©John T. Jones, Ph.D. 2005

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com)is a retired R&D engineer and VP of a Fortune 500 company. He is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering), poetry, etc. Former editor of international trade magazine. Jones is Executive Representative of International Wealth Success. More info: http://www.tjbooks.com. Business web site: http://www.bookfindhelp.com (IWS wealth-success materials / TopFlight flagpoles)

• The Chinese in California


• The American Flag


• UFOs And Angels: Are We Their Pets?


• November Reminder: Kennedy Assassination had Mississippi Roots


• Environmental Issue: Wood Burning Fireplaces


• Muslim Protestors Save Fuel for French


• Wal-Mart ® Excursion: War is Hell!


• Support Our Troops - 10 Tips to Show Your Support


• Support Our Troops - How to Gather Their Favorite Foods


• Support Our Troops - 3 Ways to Make a Difference