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.