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Show By C. A. DEAN, M.D. MEDIATORIAL: A recent Journal Jour-nal of the American Medical Association Asso-ciation contained an editorial which I feel Is very timely. I think you will feel likewise 30 1 am making mak-ing it the subject of today's column. Many persons have expressed fear that television programs teach bloody violence. Those who don't and favor the gangster, western west-ern and horror 'shows argue that belly-kicking, head knocking and other forms of violence are natural nat-ural and arise spontaneously in the untutored. Reports of foot injuries in-juries amongst teenage . boys is one argument to the contrary. In the past few years surgeons have been caring for boys, shot In the right leg, while attempting ' a "fast draw" with a loaded gun. These boya certainly got the idea from watching television westerns. west-erns. In fact such Injuries have been dubbed "Dodge City disease." dis-ease." These Injuries are prevalent preva-lent throughout the country and will continue to Increase, especially espe-cially since gun clubs to foster quick draws are sprouting up all over. This la only one way Impressionable Impres-sionable youths Injure themselves. There are more serious and untold effects on both their mind and body. It's a pity those who profit from purveying gangster and horror shows don't make them realistic. Why don't they show the disfigurement disfig-urement that follows a shooting? Why don't they show the blinding, laming and helpless invalidism that can occur? True realism would show what happens to someone some-one who is slugged the headaches, head-aches, delirium and coma. Watching Watch-ing television (and the movies) you'd think a head blow with a blunt instrument was just the thing to cure all our ailments. Believe Be-lieve me, it isn't and our children shouldn't be led to think otherwise. |