Ailing scribe seeks remedy for Gott aches

I hope you can help me. I have this splitting headache, a persistent ringing in my right ear and a crick in my neck where I cradle my phone. And the tips of my fingers are kind of sore. I'm not sure what happened.

As I look back, I think the symptoms started a couple weeks ago. Because a few of your recent columns gave some readers pause (references to bloody orifices, shower masturbation and ejaculation), we decided to try out a new purveyor of medical advice. I didn't presume that children are regular readers of your work, but lots of kids are in that neighborhood each day, poring over their favorite comic strips. That made me uncomfortable.

Our fill-in physician, the good Dr. Donohue, appears in many papers across the country. But he just didn't fit in here. Readers said he was "antiseptic," "stale" and "humorless." And he had a scary photo. They missed your homey, learned advice and familiar face.

So, as the phone rang and the e-mails arrived, my aches grew more pronounced. I was reminded of some good advice I received years and years ago when my right arm was bothering me.

"It only hurts when I throw," I told the doc. He sized me up and delivered a foolproof remedy: "Well, then don't throw."

Perhaps it's a stretch, but I saw a parallel there. So I cleared the way for your return to our comics pages. You are back in your old space. But the pain still lingers because the phone calls and e-mails from readers heralding your return have been heavy and, at times, heated. Rarely do we see such volume of reader feedback on a topic. Some examples:

"Please provide one example of good-taste boundaries being stretched, then get off your high horse."

"Can't we retain a little bit of humor and folk-medicine cures in this day and age without offending some PC sensibilities? Sadly, I'm inclined to believe that you don't believe that we can."

"I am a member of a coffee group of eight over-60-year-olds. We each have a stable of doctors, but all rely on Dr. Gott. None of us ever saw anything in his column that we considered inappropriate, but our standards aren't real high either. We were all lost without Dr. Gott."

"Gott is much better than dry and lame Dr. Donohue."

"Hard to believe that anyone could be offended by this wise and witty man so many of us trust."

"Stretching good-taste boundaries? Boy we sure missed that part. Sure they weren't referring to Doonesbury?"

"Your disclaimer at the end of the article smacks of censorship. Perhaps if open and frank answers were given to patients by health care providers instead of being glossed over by additional testing and/or referrals to someone else down the line, our costly medical industry may learn how to curtail itself. I am tired of a press in America not telling it like it is instead pushing its editorial policy as "news" that it wants us to hear. We have enough do-gooders in this country attempting to sanitize our thoughts and actions without the Billings Gazette adding their two cents worth, thank you."

"I am a faithful reader of your paper, and am appalled that you would considering editing a medical column that covers all aspects of life. If editing is to be done - it needs to be in the home and not by someone at the paper who is going to decide what I can and cannot read. Shame on you."

I should say, Dr. Gott, I do appreciate this candid feedback from some of our most loyal and longtime readers. And because their health questions should take precedence over my job-related injuries, please don't feel the need to respond right away. I think once the dust settles and I get some rest, I'll be fine. There's a lot to be said for leaving well enough alone.

Comics capers
The reader's mention of Doonesbury above gives me an opening to update you on changes to our Sunday comics. We've put on hold for now our plan to revamp the Sunday comics section in January. We're still talking with the company that prints our comics in Reno about possible changes before we stride out and begin printing our own four-page section in Billings.

In the meantime, we've tallied more than 2,500 votes on your favorite and least-favorite strips. The big winners? Pickles and Zits. Both now appear in the weekday paper and you want to see them on Sunday in a big way. On the other end of the tally, you had little love for Get Fuzzy, Uncle Art's Funland, Cathy and Prince Valiant.

Source:www.billingsgazette.net