THE SCRAPBOOK promises it will stop picking on the New York Times if the editors there will only promise to ratchet down their level of inanity. Last week brought a classic instance -- even for the Gray Lady -- of finding the cloud behind the silver lining. The headline read: "Drop in Crime Leaves Trauma Centers With Patient Shortage." And the cute little illustration that came with the story was labeled "Too Many Centers, Not Enough Trauma."
Yes, it was a sob story about how the amazing drop in New York City's violent-crime rate -- down to levels not seen since the early 1960s is actually bad news. It spells disaster for the elite doctors and nurses who treat victims of shootings, stabbings, and other violence.
"With too few patients, trauma surgeons who must execute complex, life- saving maneuvers at high speed are unable to keep their skills honed," the report warned. The paper discovered that the number of gun-shot-wound victims fell 50 percent from 1993 to 1996. One doctor described how he had been forced "to use more cadavers to educate medical students."
Ah, the good old days, when New York's finest doctors could hone their skills on warm bodies.