SARS — Fear over reason
By Gilbert Ross, M.D.
Publish Date : Monday, May 12, 2003
The specter of contagious disease often engenders a primal reaction based on fear, with resultant irrational behavior. SARS is no exception. Only a few weeks ago, New York's bustling Chinatown became a ghost town as a result.  Read Full >>

Unfounded Vaccine Fears Should Not Be Used as an Excuse for "Religious" Exemptions
By Gilbert Ross, M.D.
Publish Date : Tuesday, January 21, 2003
As a physician and public health educator, I say it's self-evident that parents' rights to evade vaccinations for their school-age children stop at classmates' respiratory tracts ("Worship Optional")  Read Full >>

Why No Discussion About Anthrax Preparedness?
By Gilbert Ross, M.D.
Publish Date : Thursday, September 26, 2002
While the debate continues on when to begin smallpox vaccinations, there is no public discussion at all about our state of readiness to deal with a large-scale bioterrorist assault using weaponized anthrax ("New Plan to Meet Smallpox Threat," front page, Sept. 24).  Read Full >>

Misdirected Financing On Causes of Breast Cancer
By Gilbert Ross, M.D.
Publish Date : Sunday, August 18, 2002
Of course advocates involved with breast cancer on Long Island were disappointed in the results of the recently completed federal study "What Next?" Aug. 11 . They had been told so often by environmental activists that there must be some relation between breast cancer rates here and one or another chemical pollutant that it became received wisdom; no doubters were tolerated.  Read Full >>

Where is the Discussion on Anthrax Vaccination?
By Gilbert Ross, M.D.
Publish Date : Thursday, July 25, 2002
With all the ongoing debate about whether, when or which Americans should receive smallpox vaccine, I wonder why no one seems to be discussing the anthrax vaccine (Editorial, "Smallpox Scenarios," July 10).   Read Full >>

Flu Shots: A Good Idea for Those Who Are At Risk
By Gilbert Ross, M.D.
Publish Date : Monday, November 12, 2001
Vaccinations against influenza—the "flu shot"—should indeed be encouraged by our public health officials, but not merely to allay fears concerning confusion with anthrax symptoms  Read Full >>

Let's Not Overreact to the Threat of Bioterrorism
By Gilbert Ross, M.D.
Publish Date : Monday, October 29, 2001
In regard to Dr. Scott Gottlieb's Oct. 19th editorial-page piece "Ammo for the War on Germs" some of his ideas are misleading:   Read Full >>

More Information Needed About Anthrax Threat
By Gilbert Ross, M.D.
Publish Date : Wednesday, October 17, 2001
Re "Responding to Anthrax Attacks" (editorial, Oct. 16):   Read Full >>

Big Tobacco's No. 1 Lie Is That 'Everyone Knows'
By Gilbert Ross, M.D.
Publish Date : Thursday, August 2, 2001
Do Americans really know enough about the dangers of smoking to make an "informed" decision to light up? Of course they should. Even Philip Morris, as we now know from a company-funded study in the Czech Republic that caused an international flap last week, was aware of early death rates among smokers. The rates were touted in the study as "indirect positive effects" that netted the country savings on health care, pensions, welfare and housing for the elderly.   Read Full >>

What Physicians Don't Know About Smoking
By Gilbert Ross, M.D.
Publish Date : Sunday, July 1, 2001
As a public health professional, I was appalled by the intensity of the antagonism over the damages in a Californian's lawsuit against Philip Morris U.S.A., decided last June. Sure, the damages—$3.5 billion—may seem immense. But this record award will barely dent the tobacco giant's profits.  Read Full >>