Fitzhugh Mullan, M.D. is Professor of Pediatrics and Public Health at George Washington University and a contributing editor of the journal "Health Affairs. "He is the author of "Plagues and Politics: The Story of the United States Public Health Service "(1989), "Vital Signs: A Young Physician's Struggle with Cancer "(1983), and "White Coat, Clenched Fist: The Political Education of an American Physician "(1976).