Tear gas has gained widespread acceptance as a means of controlling civilian crowds and subduing barricaded criminals. The most widely used forms of tear gas have been o-chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile and omega-chloroacetophenone. Proponents of their use claim that, if used correctly, the noxious effects of exposure are transient and of no long-term consequences. The use of tear gas in recent situations of civil unrest, however, demonstrates that exposure to the weapon is difficult to control and indiscriminate, and the weapon is often not used correctly. Severe traumatic injury from exploding tear gas bombs as well as lethal toxic injury have been documented. Moreover, available toxicological data are deficient as to the potential of tear gas agents to cause long-term pulmonary, carcinogenic, and reproductive effects. Published and recent unpublished in vitro tests have shown o-chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile to be both clastogenic and mutagenic. Sadly, the nature of its use renders analytic epidemiologic investigation of exposed persons difficult. In 1969, eighty countries voted to include tear gas agents among chemical weapons banned under the Geneva Protocol. There is an ongoing need for investigation into the full toxicological potential of tear gas chemicals and renewed debate on whether their use can be condoned under any circumstances.

Establishment of a firm system with a core teaching faculty, creation of mentoring and role modeling programs, implementation of a longitudinal curriculum on medical professionalism, evaluation of physicians on professional conduct, and evaluation of the clinical training environment are suggested as strategies to re-establish an education community and reaffirm professionalism in medicine.

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Explicit discrimination against minorities existed in the 1960s in hospital patient admissions and physician and nurse staff appointments. With passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, along with Medicare legislation in 1965, civil rights advocates within the federal government had both a legislative mandate to guarantee equal access to programs funded by the federal government in Title VI and a federal program that affected every hospital in the country in Medicare. This study was conducted to determine the extent to which the Medicare hospital certification program was a major determinant in the racial integration of hospitals throughout the United States. In-depth interviews were conducted with individuals involved in hospital and health care policy in the 1950s and 1960s. Other primary resources include archival and personal manuscripts, government documents, newspapers, and periodicals.

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