I hope you are even vaguely aware that many of my witnesses experienced World War I and World War II. As such, they know of a time when life in the United States was different. I have come to refer to people of this era as my "control" group. The government was different; education was different; medical care was different; the food was different; entertainment was different; religion was different. The overall attitude of our country was different. You could almost define their lives in terms of pre-war and post-war, the differences were that noticeable.

Persons born as early as 1875 could have lived through both wars; the men serving in one or both. William Guy Carr, Henry Ford, Albert Jay Nock, and Douglas Reed were born prior to the turn of the 20th century. They were young men at the time of World War I and men with enough years behind them to understand the events of post World War II. Dr. Lorraine Day, Dr. Nancy Turner Banks, Don Miller, Jr., MD., David Pidcock and so many more grew up during the years surrounding World War II.

What we get from these witnesses is a unique perspective, which if we will pay attention, explains what the differences are and why. In lieu of scientific and technological advances, we are prone to want to leave the past behind. But for those today who struggle to make sense of what they see and hear, what we can learn from the past goes far in bringing reason where nonsense seems to reign.

Don Miller, Jr, MD. teaches cardiac surgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Seattle VA Medical Center. Taking exception to much of the dogma espoused today, he researches and writes on a wide range of subjects: natural and nutritional medicine, history, philosophy, book collecting, medical and legal evidence, politics and various othodoxies in the climate and biomedical services.