Family Doctor

Dr. Shi-Shung Huang, who was medical director of an East Baltimore health center for 27 years, died Oct. 14 of cancer at his home in Towson. He was 60.Dr. Huang had been medical director of the Greater Baltimore Medical Center's Community and Family Health Center at 1017 E. Baltimore St., where he had supervised care for an estimated 55,000 low-income patients. He retired in 1993."He was really the heart and soul of that place and lent to GBMC credibility in its commitment to the under-served," said Dr. Stephen Amato, chairman of pediatrics at GBMC.

VERO BEACH, Fla. -With his stethoscope decorated with three tiny koalas, Dennis Saver looks every bit the family doctor as he steps into the examining room of his small practice on Florida's Treasure Coast. When Saver begins to examine his patient, however, he does something that four out of five doctors in America do not do: He pulls out a computer. The little black Toshiba, its edges worn to the bare metal, now gets more use than the stethoscope and has become key to the care Saver gives his patients.

Owens announces new TV program Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens announced a new program, Anne Arundel County Week in Review, airing on PEG channel 98, Fridays at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 6 a.m., 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Anne Arundel County Week in Review will keep residents up to date on county news, sports, legislative reports, County Council updates, pet adoptions and current job openings. The program airs on Comcast and Millennium cable networks.

LOS ANGELES -- Ted Bessell, the actor who starred with Marlo Thomas in the television comedy series "That Girl" and was a director of the "Tracey Ullman Show," died Sunday at the University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center. He was 57.The cause was an aortic aneurysm, his family doctor said.Mr. Bessell's acting career spanned three decades, with appearances in at least 30 television productions, including "Gomer Pyle, USMC," "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" and "Don't Drink the Water."

Arthur Morrison Lynch Sr., an accountant who - after becoming legally blind - owned and operated a concession stand at Social Security Administration headquarters in Woodlawn, died of heart failure Tuesday at Sinai Hospital. He was 99. Mr. Lynch was born at his family's home in the 1700 block of N. Caroline St. and, after being stricken with pneumonia at a young age, he moved with them on the advice of a family doctor to the then-rural Howard Park area. He remained there for 88 years. Mr. Lynch was a 1924 graduate of City College and graduated in 1933 from the Baltimore College of Commerce.

An Anne Arundel County grand jury yesterday indicted a 32-year-old Severn woman on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the Jan. 15 stabbing death of her husband.Authorities say Merle Denise Thomas of the 1800 block of Arwell Court stabbed Steven Thomas, 32, about 6:15 p.m. after an argument that began when he accused her of cheating on him.As Mrs. Thomas tried to leave the house, Mr. Thomas started choking her, authorities said. She pulled away and went to the kitchen, where he pushed her against the sink, and she grabbed a knife and stabbed him in the chest, authorities said.

I suffered from migraine headaches for more than 10 years. I saw several neurologists, but my intense headaches forced me to take early retirement. In the fall of 2002, I went from three headaches a week to almost nonstop. That November, I had only three days without headaches. I took migraine medications like Frova, Maxalt and Imitrex, but I mostly lay in bed in a dark room. I was at my wits' end. Then my family doctor suggested a gluten-free diet. Gradually my headaches became less frequent, and after several months I was 98 percent headache-free.

When she took her youngest child to the bus stop yesterday morning, several children asked Lisa K. Cunningham what happened to Piney Run, the creek behind their homes where they play. "I told them we would have to wait and see," said the Marriottsville resident and mother of four. "We just have an unfortunate situation." The creek, a popular wading and fishing spot, was polluted when much of 2 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into it after vandals caused a sewer line to overflow between May 7 and Monday.

Lyme disease can be misdiagnosed Lyme disease is a bacterial infection resulting from the bite of the deer tick. If the bite is followed by a rash with a bull's-eye pattern, you may have the disease. Early diagnosis and treatment with an oral antibiotic is simple, quick and inexpensive. Often, however, the problem is misdiagnosed. Sometimes people don't find the rash. Diagnostic labs often return blood tests to the doctor with a false-negative reading. That's what happened to me in August 2002.

A rabid fox bit two people in Westminster on Wednesday night, and Carroll County health officials are asking anyone who came into contact with the animal to come forward. The fox tested positive for rabies yesterday. A 44-year-old woman and a 6-year-old boy who live in the 200 block of Montpelier Court were bitten by the gray fox, which had been hiding in the bushes, according to Matt W. Helwig, a sanitarian with the Carroll County Health Department. The victims, whose names were not released and who are not related, called Maryland State Police, who captured the fox and destroyed it. The victims are now receiving rabies treatment -- a series of five shots, Helwig said.