Letters to the Editor
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1997 Sep / Oct VOL 5 NO 5. Editor:
Poor NJH!! It will GO BROKE!
HELP!!! Post rates up 300%; from Rs.3/- to Rs. 9/-
How to bear this loss? Suggestions Anyone?
We sent this notice 2 issues ago, but so far there have been no suggestions from anyone. But many complained that Rs. 9/- postage is too heavy and that NJH is beholden to send issues. We agree with you and we are mailing issues to all subscribers, even those who paid the old rates. This is our duty. But what about the complaint copy? We cannot bear all the loss twice right? Even then we will bear the Rs. 25/-, which is what each issue costs to print, and you send someone to collect it from NJH office or you bear the postage. Any other solution? Please write.
As you know, we are constantly trying to improve. From this issue, we are going to courier copies to those cities where we have our representatives. So those deliveries will at least be insured. That, then will be 2/3 of the battle won, we hope.
2] NJH receives at lease ONE dozen letters daily complaining of Non receipt WITHOUT subscription number. With this rise in postal rates, we can't even write asking for the number. Such letters are not being answered. So all correspondence to NJH should carry your Subscription No.
3] Approximate release dates of future issues are given in every issue, with revised dates, if we are late. Please refer that before complaining. Yes, we understand that we don't always keep to the dates, because every stage of the production is not in our hands. Printers, universally, tend to delay! Ours are no exception! But this time we have worked out a system with them too. Let's PRAY it works.
And this Rheumatology issue has been done in record time and mailed just 6 weeks after PMS. Repertory issue is scheduled for release at the SSMS seminar on 25th January, I request all of you to co-operate and send articles early by courier. We receive articles for Sept/Oct issue of Rheumatology in December! Then what are we to do??
4] Letters received complaining of non-receipt of issues NOT YET RELEASED will not be answered.
A common letter received is:
Thank you for 4/97 issue of PMS which I just received. But it is already December. So I must tell you I have not yet received 5/97 & 6/97. Please arrange to send at your earliest. Hold it! Check printed release date of PMS (25-10-97), add 6 weeks and then complain about next issue.
I have some comments on the article of Dr S Praveen Kumar - "Whose Sin is it any way?" in PMS issues.
Firstly, I would like to present certain pointers pertaining to the case in question. The patient getting Steven Johnson syndrome was not due to any fault of the doctor treating, she would have got the same reaction with Sulpha group of drugs whenever she had taken them. Steven Johnson syndrome is a Type**** type hypersensitive reaction. To blame the poor doctor and his prescription of Sulpha is not called for. Why did he treat for Urinary Tract Infection? The best thing would have been for Dr Praveen Kumar to have contacted the doctor and ask him? We always say all doctors, of any pathy, should be able to explain/justify their actions. That is why a rapport between Allopath & Homoeopath is a must.
Secondly, it is not proper to resort to emotional undertones and rhetorics in a scientific publication.
I agree that the SIN is totally our for not resorting to this type of reporting. For not reporting when a well known Homoeopath promises cure of a congenital vesico-vaginal fistule in a period of one month, citing special powers given by God himself. This child in question has permanently contracted kidneys and as such needed antibiotics were denied.
The SIN is totally ours for not reporting when another well known Homeopath prevented a case of Renal Failure from undergoing Dialysis even though BUN was 124% and Creatinine was 10.2 mg %. Patient died a week later.
The SIN is totally our for remaining in the realms of ethical reporting.
Dr C H Asrani,
Mumbai
