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Grinker, whose 15-year-old daughter is autistic, concedes that there's something reassuring about the idea of an epidemic: "Thinking about any disorder as an epidemic is easier than thinking about it in terms of multiple causes, shifting definitions and a scientific reality we are only just beginning to understand." Besides, if a disease suddenly spikes, it seems more plausible that the increase could be reversed--if only we could find the mysterious environmental trigger. With autism, though, that hopeful scenario seems just too simple...
...make things easier, I ordered a week's worth of meals from Matt Amsden's RAWvolution, which makes home deliveries in the L.A. area. Even so, it took me a while to adjust to the whole raw idea. When I opened the container of onion soup, I spent some time trying to figure out if I should heat it up in a pot or in the microwave before I remembered that I was supposed to pour the stuff cold into a bowl...
What kind of doctors would agree to shorten and sterilize a disabled 6-year-old girl to make it easier for her parents to take care of her? Dr. Daniel Gunther and Dr. Douglas Diekema, who revealed the details of the Ashley Treatment in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, were intent on improving the life of the child whose parents call her their "pillow angel"; they think their critics don't understand the extreme nature of this case. The critics, especially advocates for the disabled, think the doctors don't understand the true cost of what they have done...
Keeping Ashley smaller, the doctors argue, has medical as well as emotional benefits: making it easier for her to be moved around means better circulation, digestion and muscle condition and fewer sores and infections. Her parents could continue to lift and bathe and dress her without assistance. "If you're going to be against this," Gunther says, "you have to argue why the benefits are not worth pursuing." Looking back on the committee debate now, both doctors admit there was an instinctive, emotional ingredient in the decision to proceed. "I think in the end it was the obvious bond...
...know as well as I do," he said. "Contractors won't take risks. You can't send them out into the field to recruit new sources. They know they make a mistake and they're gone." He's right. It's a lot easier to replace a contractor than it is to fire a government employee...