NOVA - Odyssey of Life (Nov 24-26, 1966) - the story of evolution in stunning color photography of Lennart Nilsson
(Sacramento: November 22, 1996) Thomas Quartz, a 12-year old boy is diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. His mother, Katherine Quartz, a Paiute Indian, wants him to be treated by a holistic homeopath recommended by a tribal medicine man. The boy had started chemotherapy but a tribal judge, Ron Johnny, ordered the chemo stopped until a "traditional medicine man" examined the boy. A pediatric oncologist says that the chances of survival are 90 percent or higher with chemotherapy and radiation. The traditional tribal healers say that the chemotherapy will interfere with the homeopathic remedies. The mother is arrested on a felony warrant of child endangerment. The boy is being treated by a homeopathic doctor, somewhere unknown to the court which wants to force the boy to have chemotherapy. Who's right?
Stay tuned. We'll follow the progress of this case of parental vs. state rights and traditional medicine vs. alternative therapies.
More
- "Special Report: U.S. study finds no proof of electromagnetic peril" by John D. Cox
- "Insuring Alternatives" The July 3, 1996 transcript of a PBS story on Washington State's decision to force insurers to cover alternative medical practitioners.