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The Michigan Daily
Edited and managed by Students at the
University at Michigan
Wednesday, May 11, 1977
News Phone: 764-0552
Loetri Do or die
1'FREEDOM OF CHOICE is the name of the game when
discussing the legalization of Laetrile.
Laetrile (also known as amgydalin or vitanin B-17)
is an alleged cancer cure presently banned from the
Pharmaceutical market in America by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA).
The FDA claims in the 25 years Laetrile has been
known in medicinal circles, no scientific studies or hard
evidence have shown Laetrile to be effective in cancer
treatment.
Some want to bypass the FDA's ruling by declaring
Laetrile a vitamin rather than a drug, which would put
Laetrile out of FDA jurisdiction.
Doctors say Laetrile is not only ineffective, but could
have harmful psychological effects on cancer patients.
Doctors fear curable patients would put all their eggs
in the basket of the Laetrile "cure." Should Laetrile
prove ineffective in such cases, and doctors say it in-
evitably would, those patients would dbe beyong hope of
other known treatments.
BUT WE CANNOT ignore those patients whose emo-
tional testimonies have put Laetrile in the public eye.
These are the patients who claim they would be dead
now, save for the daily Laetrile doses. They tell of life
with cancer, and the inevitable trip to Mexico for treat-
ment unavailable in the U.S.
Effective or not, cancer patients must have the choice
between a long shot for survival and certain death. Lae-
trile, especially for certified terminally ill patients, must.
be legalized.
We favor the di-tribution of Laetrile with prominent
warnings about the drug's dubious effectiveness. Warn-
ings could stave off possible ill effects of Laetrile.
Indiana, Alaska and Florida have all legalized the
drug. The legislature has been presented with seven
different forms of Laetrile legalization proposals.
Because there are no positive cancer cures avail-
able now, if one drug can (and apparently does) give
some patients hope of survival through that vicious dis-
ease, that drug should not be illegal.
The ban on Laetrile not only halts a citizen's free-
dom of choice, but dims some- patients hopes, as well.
Caveat emptor,

Can Ann Arbors left

+1
get its
By BOB ALEXANDER
(Second in a four-part series)'
Vision, means of implementa-
tion and unity are all necessary
if any leftist political movement
can succeed in Ann Arbor -
if past examples might be tak-
en for future lessons.
Those ingredients, present in
the two latest leftist surges, may
possibly come together again,
should Mayor Albert Wheeler's
one vote victory stand up in
the courts.
Since the mid-50s, Ann Arbor
has had two leftist periods, the
first extended through most of
the 60s, the second began in '72
with the formation of the Human
Rights Party, and died in 1975
With the same.
AT THOSE TIMES the cam-
paign issues were apparently
relevant to the majority of Ann
Arbor voters, and earned the
support of community leaders
and ciyic organizations with
varying degrees of political in-
volvement.
During other, quieter periods,
the lack of one or more fad-
tors prevented the energies
necessary for the success of a
left political movement from
uniting. The past two years have
been part of one of those politi-
cally disjointed tines.
Yet, reshaping forces and a
resurgence of organized 'move-
ment" politics within the Demo-
cratic Left is apparent. Before
that can happen, the three in-
gredients must get together.
IN ORDER TO SUCCEED, a
mosement must have a group
(if visionaries, people who could
communicate the needs they
perceive to the community at
large. Fortunately, Ann Arbor
is blessed with loony thinkers
and writers who could perform
such a task,
But the left needs more than
just a dream. It needs people
to carry out the dream. The
implementors (also called activ-
TODAY'S STAFF:
News: Stu McConnell, Ken
Parsigian, Mike Yellin
Editorial: Linda Wilicox
Photo: Aan Biinsky
Arts: Dalvid Keeps
Sports: Rick Maddock

act together

ists) could develop the pro-
gram, ballot and funding pro-
posals, steer legislation through
government, and put out cam-
paign publicity.
Unity could never be forgot-
ten. The degree of unity between
the movements leaders and vis-
ionaries and the followers (im-
plentors, activists) greatly de-
termines the effectiveness of
their political programs, and
the appeal of the party platform
to the voters. When leftist can-
didates run on different slates,
opposing each other on the bal-
lot, much of any leftist move-
ment's energies are wasted in
that opposition.
It would be naive to assume

vision, implementation and unity
are the" only ingredients a po-
litical group need have in order
to pass itself off as a move-
ment. Such a group needs to
pick up on issues to make such
issues relevant to the Ann Ar-
bor voters, then get the voters
to turn out and respond, in bal-
lot form to such issues.
Certainly, none of it is- an
easy task.
Tomorrow: HRP beginnings
Editorials and cartoons that
appear an the riqht side af
the Editorial Pane are the
opinion of the a u t h a r or
artist, and not necessarily
the opinion of the paper.

Health Service Handbook

By SYLVIA HACKER
and NANCY PALCHIK
QUESTION: I like honey
and in fact I eat some every
day. I've seen it' recommend-
ed as an aid in curing sore
throats, colds and other things.
Can you tell me how good it
is for me?
ANSWER: At this point in
our history, everyone is so fed
up with refined foods that any-
thing made by any creature
other than humans takes on
magical qualities. H o w e v e r,
honey is not a medicine. It is a
food. It is a mixture of two com-
mon sugars, glucose and fruc-
tose. It also contains a small
amount of sucrose or table su-
gar. A tablespoon of honey has
65 calories, a trace of protein,
and a few other ingredients. It
is 25 per cent sweeter than sur-
rose. The curative value of
honey has not been established.
QUESTION: Is it possible to.
lose a tampon inside of you?
ANSWER: It's easier to lose a
tampon inside your purse than
inside your vagina. It is not pos-
sible to force a tampon into the
uterus and so it can't really be
lost. What often happens is that
a second tampon is insterted
without removingthe first one
and is therefore forced high into
the vagina. It can actually be
forgotten for awhile but not for
long because a foul odor will
soon develop, sometimes accom-

panied by a discharge. If you, or
a very close friend can't remove
it, a physician can do so very
quickly and without serious dis-
comfort.
QUESTION: I don't feel like
ever going back to health
Service. Last week, when I
was feeling sick as a dog, the
doctor I saw there was cold,
abrupt and impersonal. What's
with you?
ANSWER: You simply got
yourself a grouch. There are
those kinds in any service staff-
ed with humans. We know when
you're sick you're especially
vulnerable and want lots more
TLC than usual. So when you
run into an M.D. who isn't par-
ticularly a charmer or perhaps
is having a problem in -his or
her own life, it's not too happy
a combination. However, we
urge you to come back. Under-
neath it all, we love you. Like
with everything else, you have
to shop for a doctor you like
and then stick with him or her.
when you find the one who fits
your temperament, you can ask
for that doctor whenever you-
return.
Send all health related ques-
tions to:
Health Educators
University Health Service
Division of Office of
Student Services
207 Fletcher
Ann Arbor, MI 48109