To The Editor:

Can you have absolute freedom in a civilized society? Let us look at a few examples.

To The Editor:

In response to Candace Weddington, MA:

(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by well-known local physician, Dr. Patrick Ball, in response to recent articles or letters by his colleagues, which were in response to his initial articles regarding the pandemic and how we as a civilization respond.)

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Once again, I fear that I have failed to convey my message of freedom. Dr. Neff’s well-written article bears evidence of such. One of her major points of contention was that I should not blame government agencies for disallowing face-to-face encounters with my patient, but should take the issue up with the hospital I work for. I had already done that long before either of our articles had appeared in The Telegram. The hospital administration was in fact quite receptive to my position on continuing face-to-face visits. My nurse and I had even worked out a plan to do home visits for the more vulnerable elderly population. However, due to guidelines set forth by state and federal agencies, they reluctantly informed me that we could only do traditional exams on a very limited basis. I had not done a fact-check regarding this issue, but Dr. Neff had and I take her at her word that there are no laws prohibiting our intentions; but I propose there are unwritten laws that produce the same effect.

To The Editor:

Dr. Patrick Ball's opinion pieces published in The Telegram on May 13th and June 3rd addressed the COVID-19 pandemic and the country's response to it.  The current surge in the number of covid-19 cases has prompted me to revisit his articles and opinions. In the first article, he expresses his lack of confidence in statistics because they can be manipulated to support any number of different conclusions. While admitting that the virus is a real health threat, he suggests that statistics are being used to convince the public that the virus and its effects are more serious than they really are.

To The Editor:

Wanted to thank the city of Jackson for allowing me to be a guest of Jackson for the past five years. But more importantly for caring for my mother-in-law Irene Lloyd until her passing at 99-1/2. Jackson was her home and she never wanted to leave. 

Editor’s Note: Dr. Jill Neff, who owns and operates Hometown Pediatric Care in Jackson, submitted this opinion piece, offering her response to two recent opinion pieces published in The Telegram from local physician Dr. Pat Ball concerning the response to the COVID-19 situation.)

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I have read both of Dr. Ball’s articles several times and would now like to offer (1) some fact-checking and (2) another perspective.