Dear Sir,

Your editorial "Aflatoxin and Liver Diseases" in JPMA, 1979. To begin with I must express my deep and sincere congratulation to you for most deserving recognition as Editor of APASI, executive post in international association., for study of the liver diseases. This has surely given a sense of pride and great pleasure to all of us, and to the medical profession at large.
I also take this opportunity to convey my near paranoid state of mind for the alarming cases of liver diseases in all ages and increasing numbers every year. Being curiously interested in finding the etiology and means of cure for multifaceted causes of Hepatic disorders our national interest has not been benefited by the closed door finding and good amount of work done by various respected workers except identifying the seriousness of the alarming problems. Proceedings of National Seminar on liver diseases held over a year ago is before me which leads to nowwhere with problem of the common man. The water and food causes are there, the carriers mosquitos, flies and other causes like amoeba, tubercule bacillie and other bacteria are plentiful, reckless prescribing of Hepatotoxic drugs is common, health education and health care system has more ingredients of politics than medicine. Under these circumstances when viral hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, cancer and other liver diseases are on increase what can be done to allay the panic of general practitioners and sufferings of the common man who are both similarly handicapped with lack of facilities. I venture to suggest here that since we work in jungle of diseases in their  natural habitat and you all work in zoo of diseases in closed door environment why not your colleagues suggest the authorities to have study of both etiology and remedial methods  at family  physicians clinic for  a clear picture of the things.
What we need for this purpose is the services of a recorder and some simple investigation and nothing else. In return we can offer wealth of material and information and true epidemiology. But there is also prerequiste for this and that is recognition of the importance of the services of general practitioners, break the utter lack of communication between general practitioners and specialties, create compulsive facility for continuing education, exchange the intelligence and also learn from us and defuse the spirit of "D" what I say attitude."
My whole intention here is to request you and your co-workers and the authorities to gather information, dessiminate indigenous knowledge and involve the main man power of health delivery system (G.P.) for the benefit of community and save the poor exposed tenacious liver which refuses to die even if 1/8 of it is left by ravages by all responsible for its destruction.

(Dr. S. H. Naqvi),
Secretary College of Family Medicine P.M.A. House, Garden Road, Karachi.

EDITORIAL "OSTEOMALACIA"

Dear Sir,
Your Editorial on Osteomalacia (JPMA) October 79, was very informative. In this connection I would like to add that gross Osteomalacia is a vory common disease in these Northern areas and perhaps is fairly common in its milder form all over the country. Inspite of this there is no potent VD 3 preparation available in the entire country. I had pointed this out to the Director General Health, Government of Pakistan and had requested that VD 3 50,000 IU tablets be included to the Formulary and also made available. No reply to this was ever received. I request that this point be taken up with the Director General Health, Government of Pakistan through J.P.M.A.

(Dr. Najib Ullah)
Senior Consulting Phyn. Saidu Sharif Swat.