Diseases
Sir: Geoffrey Wheatcroft tells us approv- ingly that Dr Trevor Turner says that calling addiction a disease 'is a disgraceful myth by which people absolve themselves of personal responsibility.'
I don't understand. Calling venereal disease a 'disease' has never led anyone to suppose that those suffering from this disease were thereby absolved of personal responsibility. Furthermore, consider John who removes those foods containing Victa- min C from his diet with an eventually succesful view to contracting scurvy. On the other hand, consider scurvy Jim who got that way because of dietary ignorance. Why should the descriptive 'disease' be withheld from John and yet be applied to Jim's physically indistinguishable condi- tion?
Kenneth Umpleby
89 Woodcote Avenue, Mill Hill, London NW7
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