If Dr. Gupta is appointed, it will be clear that the Obama administration trivializes the role of the SG to one of a health-themed media puppet. I don’t think Dr. Gupta deserves that, and I hope we deserve better also.

Gupta, like most of the MDs, is too influenced by the pharmaceutical industry. But at least he is listening – waffling as it is called – to the dangers of cell phones and vaccines.

There is quite a growing body of thought that autism is the result of a number of environmental assaults. In many cases, the 5 vaccines in one day were simply the straw that breaks the camel’s back. The CDC and Environmental Working group have both confirmed that babies marinate in a toxic stew in the mother’s womb; they come into the world with more than 200 chemicals in their bloodstream – pesticides, fire retardant, Teflon, etc. It is no wonder that the stats for this generation of children are dismal:

Cancer is now the leading cause of death in children, aged 1-14.
The U.S. government reports that 1 out of every 6 children has a developmental disability.

 The CDC reports that 1 in 150 children have autism. About 1 in 10 children in public schools has ADHD.
 America now uses 90% of the world’s Ritalin – more than five times the rest of the world combined. Emergency room visits by children ages 10-14 involving Ritalin intoxication have now reached the same level as those for cocaine.
 The CDC reports asthma is the leading chronic illness of children in the United States. Asthma has more than doubled since 1980 affecting 1 in 4; asthma is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among those younger than 15 years of age.
 The rate of premature births increased nearly 31 percent between 1981 and 2003; the U.S. has the second worst infant mortality among 33 industrialized nations (2006).
 Children and adolescents now being treated for bipolar has increased 40-fold since 1994.
 According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (July 2007), “new epidemics in chronic health conditions among children and youth will translate into major demands on public health and welfare in the coming decades”. The study found “from 15 to 18 percent of children and adolescents have some sort of chronic health condition, nearly half of whom could be considered disabled.”

So much of what I read says Gupta is a good pick because he’s a strong communicator. Koop wasn’t necessarily a strong communicator, but he used his strength to do what tobacco-funded politicians could not – get the American public to understand that smoking was bad for their health. This kind of leadership is what the Surgeon General should be about. He shouldn’t be an advocate for the drug makers, we already have the FDA for that. We need an advocate for health, for our children’s health.

I think that this is a truly terrible choice. Some commentary has revolved around the fact the SG’s position has been diminished over the past 8 years (or longer). Granted. But the trend should end, not renewed.

Obama offered some hope that science would return to an honored status within his Administration. Some of his other picks in the sciences offered confirmation of the view. Gupta does not.

Further, his gutless and misleading reports on autism and his breathless reports on Avian flu (2005-06) diminish him as a science-based doctor. If you want just an attractive talking head from TV — House is available.

More at this wonderful diary by Dr Steve B.

Gupta? Sure, why not. At least he can string more words together intelligibly than Joceyln Elders could.

Yes, some questions re: gravitas, the right kind of experience, and arguably conflict-of-interest issues.

Irrelevant. The Surgeon General is head of the US Public Health Service, which is not related at all to the Pentagon, the Department of Defense, or the Department of State. The Surgeon General and the PHS is part of the Department of Health & Human Services. While there may be some need for coordination or consultation among cabinet departments, the functions are quite independent.

Saying that the Surgeon General holds the rank of Admiral within the PHS and should be concerned about what the Pentagon thinks is little different than saying that someone who holds a GS-15 level post in NIH should be concerned about what someone who holds a GS-15 level post in the FBI thinks about their scientific credentials.

Why doesn’t he just take care of patients like he was trained to do?