Letters

In "Turning Point" (March), Eliza Newlin Carney failed to mention one significant contributor to problems at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On June 25, 1992, under the leadership of then-HHS Secretary Dr. Louis Sullivan, the CDC established the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCPIC). The NCPIC sought to treat injuries, whether inflicted intentionally or accidentally, as a public health problem. During the tenure of NCPIC Director Dr. Mark Rosenberg, a Clinton appointee, the CDC became a prominent advocate of tighter restrictions on ownership of firearms as a "public health" measure aimed at reducing injuries.

The premise of NCPIC is fundamentally flawed. Accidental or intentionally inflicted injuries are a complex problem of ethics, morals, law enforcement, product design and personal behavior. They are not "public health" problems. If CDC wishes to free up resources to meet its legitimate mission of tracking and preventing disease, whether naturally occurring or a result of bioterrorism, eliminating the unnecessary and counterproductive "work" of NCPIC would be a good place to start.

Please note that I am writing in my individual capacity, and my views do not necessarily reflect the views of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, or of Commissioner Mary Sheila Gall.

Dennis B. Wilson
Senior Legal Counsel to
Commissioner Mary Sheila Gall
Consumer Product Safety Commission

In "Making Waves" (April), the rank of David Duryea, the commanding officer of the submarine USS Florida, was misidentified. He is a commander.