For those of you who are curious, here is the complete text of my
original letter for comparison with his published version.
Interesting that he did not correct his bogus medical opinion.
Dr. Vergil E. Noble, Ph.D.
2020 C Street
Lincoln, NE 68502
February 1, 2000
Dr. Peter H. Gott, M.D.
Newspaper Enterprise Assn.
200 Madison Ave.
New York, NY 10016.
Dear Dr. Gott:
I read your January 29, 2000, syndicated column in my local newspaper
with an extreme sense of dismay. First, you gave what I believe to
be poor advice on the health risks of digging in recent privies
(Clostridium spp. may be living in the soil, and there is potential
for tetanus infection--not to mention the extended survivability of
anthrax and, in some cases cholera, which usually dies within 75
years). Second, and more important from my professional perspective,
you admonished the writer to seek out older privies that are more
likely to yield relics in abundance.
You wrote: "I suggest that you refocus your attention on the waste
site for an old farm house. Here is where the real relics can be
found, especially if the site is more than a century old. Old bottles,
farm equipment and dinnerware are available for the taking."
As an archaeologist who has devoted a good portion of my 25-year
career to arresting the alarming growth in site looting, I can only
say, "Shame on you, Dr. Gott." How could you give such an answer?
Your "advice" will serve no purpose but to further the diminishment of
our nation's finite, non-renewable cultural resources for fun and
profit.
You simply have no idea what we are up against, when anyone with a
shovel and a little curiosity can call himself an "amateur
archaeologist." They rip and tear their way across the country,
taking what they want and leaving behind disturbed sites no longer
capable of teaching trained archaeologists about the past. And
because the news media considers their behavior to fall in the realm
of human-interest stories, they are the recipients of much favorable
publicity.
Other than the folk remedies of a "Granny Clampett," the medical
profession usually has been spared the indignities of pop culture in
recent years. Of course, I am sure that the practice of medicine is
not portrayed in its true light, but it is generally upheld as a noble
calling and its practitioners as dedicated, highly trained
professionals. We who pursue careers in archaeology think we deserve
the same deference.
If "Dear Abby" where to give free medical advice--even in jest--the
medical profession, including yourself, would jump down her throat. I
am sure that you meant no harm by your words, but I must tell you that
they are indeed harmful to the cause of science and to the
preservation of our heritage.
Dr. Gott, I hope you will agree that some sort of retraction is in
order and that you will be more circumspect when giving advice in the
future.
Sincerely yours,
Vergil E. Noble, Ph.D.
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