54 Our Readers Write

High Rating For Burdette To The Editor: Not all the "Friends of Burdette Tomlin Hospital ‘ have spoken Th^re are those who differ from the Nanavati cohorts, those who consider their friendship with Burdette more binding, for it is not swayed by one individual's petty and vengeful desire to castigate an entire institution for his personal conflict with another doctor and for his inability to gel along with his co-wtorkers. In all the years Burdette Tomlin has been in operation. Nanavati has not been the only minority on the staff, so why such a hullaballoo in this case? Cduld it be a question of priorities'' The Nanavati group seems to be basing its judgment mainly on a clash between two doctors The nationality question should have nothing to do with it It is • easy to shout prejudice But Burdette has always been a mixing'pot of nationalities, yet nothing had been said about such differences till Nanavati appeared 6n the scene Anyone who works w’ifh a group knows how demoralizing it disruptive element can be Such behavior can never lie condoned, whether the culprit Ik? adult or juvenile Per sonal differences should be settlefiin one s own backyard. WE. THE REAL FRIENDS of Burdette, judge our hospital by her impressive record of accomplishment: her continued implementation of advanced techniques, with expanded services and facilities; her superior medical staff , and I above all. her compassion for those under her care. We feel a hospital, or any other organization, should not bo judged by isolated cases, for all hospitals have them. Besides judging by the record of accomplishment, we can judge by comparisoas with other hospitals. A discerning individual should not let himself fall into the trap of judging by hearsay. When I heard, for example, that my neightbor’s son blamed his grandmother’s death on the hospital, I did some checking. I learned the elderly woman had suffered a serious heart attack and would hqve died in any hospital. Checking further. I learned that about 50 per. cent of Cape May County inhabitants are senior citizens. The incidence of terminal cancer or terminal anything is greater among this age group. So let’s not be hasty in blaming the hospital.. I KEEL I CAN MAKE an honest, unbiased judgment of Burdette Tomlin on the basis of numerous comparisons. • <Page 55 Please)

Raffa Overpaid

To The Editor:

I feel it incumbent upon me to challenge Mayor Dominic Haffa s statement as to his worth. According to the mayor, his salary, far from being excessive, is not sufficient In his opinion Sea Isle City could not pay him enough for the job he has undertaken. I feel, not only is he overpaid, but if he is not satisfied, he could easily step down There are many sensitive persons who are qualified to handle his job. Instead, the feeling of power seems, at limes, to go to his head. He has frequently derided any resident who challenges a decision. I labor under the opinion that the mayor is an elected official and is expected to listen to the opinions < and also the complaints) of the residents Instead, we are frequently told if we don’t like it, "Move.” I would hope the residents of Sea Isle City would stand up and be counted when confronted with this attitude. As a taxpayer, full-time resident and a person interested in seeing a progressive administration in this city, I must protest the attitudes of both Mayor Raffa and Commissioner Gansert. They are in office to serve, not bully. Courtesy is the k«y word.

J

ISABEL R. GILLESPIE

Sea Isle City. N.J.

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fabllihrd K»rry WHaroday By

opinion

Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital Patient Care

Being Affected To The Editor: From all that I have read and heard, in the forthcoming election at Rurdctte Tdmlin Memorial Hospital, my ballot may well show the only split vote because I intend to vote for individuals and not for any particular ticket. What I now sec happening at Burdette is a black mark not only on the hospital but on the entire area it services. It is a scandal. We have here a house divided against itself. I would be tempted to say "A plague on both your houses,” but I cannot. Too much is at stake. What seems to have started as a disagreement between two doctors has mushroomed into cancerous clouds of venomous hatred where many people - unfortunately unknowing of all the facts, myself included - are asked to take sides, not against the true enemy, disease,, but against individuals who are best able to combat disehse. I AM VERY FAMILIAR with both major principals in the current dispute. I consider them both friends. I would unhesitatingly respect their professional opinions although I am not qualified to judge their specific degrees of competence in the respective fields. My point is, the vast majority of people drawn into this dispute are like myself, equally unqualified to make proper judgment. (Page 55 Please) Fine Converage

Herald A Lantern 31 Augurt '83

Public Caught In Crossfire To The Editor: The reason there’s no motto carved in stone over the entrance to Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital is that it can’t be decided whether it should be, "You Can’t Get There From Here,” or, "Might Makes Right.” Now there’s a runner-up: it is, "Who Are You For?" "Is It Fair?" is never a contender. Actually, I like best a very one old one above a church entrance near the Philadelphia Academy of Medicine, which reads, "A Community Without Dissent Is An Anthill." The aim of "Friends of Burdette” is, "to restore control of the hospital to the community ” How can it be hoped that they can.be effective when they display such gross misconceptions? Restore? Control of the hospital has never resided in the community in any general sense. Moreover, such a statement suggests that "Friends..." is unaware of the fact that such control doesn’t reside with the hospital board of governors either, regardless of who they ar^ or by whom chosen, nor with the hospital administrator, nor even with the hospital physician staff as a body. Unless it is understood that control of Burdette, now as always, is held primarily by the native-born, long-term staff surgeons, much useless energy will be expended iif paFking up the wrong trees. TO MAINTAIN that status quo, it is helpful but not ' essential for these people to have a board of governors they can easily control or overshadow. It also helps to have an administrator whose self-ima^fe isn’t unduly bent by the double bind of occupying a position of responsibility while at the same time surrendering, to other, longer established elements, most of the powers normally inherent in such a position. A former’administrator was driven to near-suicide by' / the situational stresses inherent in this still-existing "yesmah" obligation. Stability of and long-term control by such a minority is also helped by something akin to a divide and conquer strategy. Burdette staff physicians have never been / united, their present opposition to De. Nanavati being the closest they’ve ever come. I’ve known the institution since junior internship there in 1958. First it was the old, established M.D. staff members versus the young osteopaths. Now, like ethnic pressure in the U.S.A. moving from one immigrant wave to the next, from Irish to Italian to Puerto Rican, it has at Burdette probably shifted so that now it is all previous waves versus the current Asian invasion. It is now their turn in the barrel. a WHO IS NEXT? Always somebody, as long as powet, heirarchy and control remain the basis for decision(Page 55 Please) Kind Patrolmen

,To The Editor: Let me express my appreciation for the fine coverage the Herald and Lantern gave to the project, "A History of Commercial Fishing in South Jersey.” , Many people told me that they looked forward each week to reading the intervigjv excerpts from the various fishermen. They were certainly most entertaining and educational. For me, the coverage was the "Icing on Uje cake" that made the project a success. THOMAS V. CHELIUS ED.D. CHAIRPERSON ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES ATLANTIC COMMUNITY COLLEGE

To The Editor: I was involved in an auto accident on Park Boulevard in Wildwood Crest on Aug. 4. I am writing to let everyone know how kind patrolmen Sinsheimer, Bersani and Bradley were. They showed such concern I cannot say enough good about them. They could not have been nicer had I been their mother. I trust it never happens to me again, but I can only hope I can be so lucky in the patrolmen. KATHLEEN D. COADY Wildwood Crest"*

.ovelorn Advice Refined

Teddy Bears Reconsidered

By JOE ZELNIK Previous columns on how to pick, or discard, the proper potential mate have had surprising results in Cape May County. King crab legs are accumulating, marriage licenses are down, and motel occupahcy is up. A number of married pteople failed to understand that the criteria I applied to determine desirable/undesirable men and women was intended for "singles" who were looking to become couples. Thus some husbands and wives have objected because they found themselves or their perfect mates on one of my doubtful lists. UNDERSTAND THAT there are things that are suspect when single, but perfectly proper when married. For example, there is nothing wrong with a husband opening the car door for his wife or bringing her flowers. He is not necessarily cheating. And there is nothing wrong with a married woman who likes to lie in bed in the morning, especially if her husband can sleep in too. In fact, that makes for one of the most desirable personal relationships, although it does tend to add to the unemployment and welfare rolls. And I would agree with S.M. of Cold Spring that chains hanging from a bedroom ceiling, of and by themself, need not be contraindicative of a healthy relationship. I ALSO HAVE HAD second thoughts about men who have teddy bears on their beds. I personally have a stuffed alligator which I won by going two-for-two with a basketball in an amusement park in Niattra Falls, Canada, two years ago. The woman I won it'TOr tiirned me, and the alligator, down. No matter what YOU think of when you see an alligator, I keep H because it's the only time I ever

won anything. A number of women said they wouldn't care if a man cooked an entire meal in one pan just so long as HE cooked it. And a number of men who cooked thanked me for the suggestion. For them, some special advice on conserving dishes. If you cat half a melon for breakfast, you also can serve your cold cereal in its shell. AS FOR THE PROBLEM of bacon cooling if you remove it from the pan in order to make eggs, I use masking tape to attach the bacon to the Sides of the pan while the eggs fry. And if you don't mind eating your bacon with your fingers, which, I’m told, is permitted, and keep your butter really soft, a spoon can suffice for the entire breakfast. Some specific answers to some specific questions: T.L. of Anglesea wonders if her relationship can endure a man who wears “Magnum P.I." shirts day and night, to work, play and sleep. That depends on the length of the flaps. P.L. OF GRACETOWN is worried because her boyfriend takes her to play miniature golf seven nights a week. She’s already bored and wonders if this would continue after marriage? I would have to know how short he is. D.L. of Palermo is desolute because he met the perfect woman — a vegetarian who doesn’t drink — and she’s married. Give her up, D.L. No husband would relinquish such a gem. Finally, K.C. of Stone Harbor writdk that she is attractive and wealthy, but has one fault: She wants to be placed on a pedestal and worshipped. She should call me; I think something can be arranged. 1