Neil Solomon

Dr. Neil Solomon once reveled in public attention. For nearly 10 years, as Maryland's first health secretary, he moved contentedly through a self-generated mist of publicity.Day after day, he was in the news, hunting Medicaid fraud, warning of salmonella outbreaks, backing the legalization of abortion. He was the most visible member of Gov. Marvin Mandel's cabinet, resented by some colleagues for his high profile and his penchant for getting the governor's ear.Some in the State House called him bright, energetic, committed.

Here's the deal. You've got a city with great monuments, a dozen tapas restaurants, a giant outdoor mall (admittedly, with no Gap, however), many big-time museums, a panda, an actual pro football team for heaven's sake, not to mention at least three Starbuck's restaurants, and still nobody wants it.You literally cannot give the place away.Not that Newt Gingrich, who is usually philosophically opposed to all give-aways not connected with a major publishing house, isn't trying.We're talking about Washington, D.C., of course -- D.C. standing for Deficit City (or possibly Doomed City)

THE BALTIMORE SUN Dr. Neil Solomon was a godsend, a doctor who listened, looked his patients in the eye and said he understood. No other doctor had paid attention to the overweight, depressed women who traveled great distances to see him.The sex didn't start right away. First there were compliments -- "I find you desirable" -- a surprising touch, a kiss. By the time the intimacies began, they seemed a natural outgrowth of an uncommon bond between doctor and patient.Former patients interviewed by The Sun described a pattern -- of a doctor who rescued them from the rubble of their shattered self-images, then exploited their trust by luring them into sex. For several, the aftermath has been ruinous: a broken marriage, a nervous collapse, depression and years of psychotherapy.

25 Years Ago* The Army, FBI and police units from Anne Arundel County called off a search of the woods off Route 175 near Odenton after two young men in army fatigues stole a $34,109 payroll from Fort George G. Meade at gunpoint and evaded capture. -- The Sun, Jan. 1, 1970.* Governor Marvin Mandel, with his wife and grown children opened Government House in Annapolis today for a two-hour public reception. Light freshments were served to the more than 2,000 Marylanders who accepted the governor's open invitation.

Until now, the chairmanship of the Governor's Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission has been a political plum for men who curried favor with William Donald Schaefer. As a result, there has been tremendous public visibility ` both for the chairmen and the commission. But in reality very little has been accomplished. By choosing Neil Solomon to succeed Lt. Gov. Mickey Steinberg as head of the state substance abuse commission, Schaefer has changed the group's focus to a public health perspective.

If a state drug commission on alcohol and drugs can save taxpayers $160,000 by eliminating frills and staff, why can't other agencies do the same thing? Dr. Neil Solomon has wasted little time as the group's new chairman axing mileage allowances and car phones and reducing staff to make it a frill-free drug commission.Whatever money is left will be directed toward "people programs," says Dr. Solomon. The 53-member panel thus will have to work harder and do so out of commitment to the task at hand, without reimbursement for incurred expenses.

25 Years Ago* The Army, FBI and police units from Anne Arundel County called off a search of the woods off Route 175 near Odenton after two young men in army fatigues stole a $34,109 payroll from Fort George G. Meade at gunpoint and evaded capture. -- The Sun, Jan. 1, 1970.* Governor Marvin Mandel, with his wife and grown children opened Government House in Annapolis today for a two-hour public reception. Light freshments were served to the more than 2,000 Marylanders who accepted the governor's open invitation.

Has Neil Solomon done for Maryland's medical community what Anne Arundel County school teacher Ronald W. Price did for education? We can only hope so.The cases of Dr. Solomon and Price share several characteristics: Doctor and teacher misused their positions of trust for sexual pleasure. And both apparently preyed on particularly vulnerable people in their care.Dr. Solomon was a nationally renowned weight-loss specialist who was regarded as a gubernatorial candidate this year before three former female patients filed suit against him for luring them into sexual relationships.

Dear Dr. Solomon: My hands always seem to be chapped when the weather gets cold. I've tried washing them more often so that they wouldn't be so dry, but this hasn't helped. Do you have any advice? -- Lee, TowsonDear Lee: My first bit of advice would be to stop washing your hands so often. What you are doing by washing so often is removing the natural oils, and this will only make your skin more dry. The idea is to replace the natural oils, and this can be accomplished by using petroleum jelly or a moisturizing cream.

An article in early editions of The Sun Thursday incorrectlycharacterized the bankruptcy petition filed earlier in the week byDr. Neil Solomon. It was a Chapter 13 filing.The Sun regrets the errors.Dr. Neil Solomon has filed for bankruptcy, delaying proceedings in the multimillion-dollar lawsuits filed by three former patients who allege he improperly engaged in sexual relationships with them.The Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition was filed Monday in the federal bankruptcy court in Baltimore. Under Chapter 7, a court-appointed trustee distributes assets among creditors if there are assets to be applied to any debts.

Will Women Stop Being Victims?After reading the articles on the sexual misconduct charges leveled against Dr. Neil Solomon (and to which he confesses), I am moved to write this letter.Ever since the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill controversy, I have listened to debates and resolutions over the issue of sexual harassment with great interest. What concerns me most about my observations is the fact that women who are claiming they are being "lured" into sexual acts with men, or who make accusations of sexual harassment years after the ordeal, are negatively impacting the advancement of women.

Has Neil Solomon done for Maryland's medical community what Anne Arundel County school teacher Ronald W. Price did for education? We can only hope so.The cases of Dr. Solomon and Price share several characteristics: Doctor and teacher misused their positions of trust for sexual pleasure. And both apparently preyed on particularly vulnerable people in their care.Dr. Solomon was a nationally renowned weight-loss specialist who was regarded as a gubernatorial candidate this year before three former female patients filed suit against him for luring them into sexual relationships.

Dr. Neil Solomon once reveled in public attention. For nearly 10 years, as Maryland's first health secretary, he moved contentedly through a self-generated mist of publicity.Day after day, he was in the news, hunting Medicaid fraud, warning of salmonella outbreaks, backing the legalization of abortion. He was the most visible member of Gov. Marvin Mandel's cabinet, resented by some colleagues for his high profile and his penchant for getting the governor's ear.Some in the State House called him bright, energetic, committed.

THE BALTIMORE SUN Dr. Neil Solomon was a godsend, a doctor who listened, looked his patients in the eye and said he understood. No other doctor had paid attention to the overweight, depressed women who traveled great distances to see him.The sex didn't start right away. First there were compliments -- "I find you desirable" -- a surprising touch, a kiss. By the time the intimacies began, they seemed a natural outgrowth of an uncommon bond between doctor and patient.Former patients interviewed by The Sun described a pattern -- of a doctor who rescued them from the rubble of their shattered self-images, then exploited their trust by luring them into sex. For several, the aftermath has been ruinous: a broken marriage, a nervous collapse, depression and years of psychotherapy.

A state panel permanently stripped Dr. Neil Solomon of his medical license yesterday after the former Maryland health secretary admitted to having sex with at least eight patients over the past 20 years.In perhaps its harshest sanction ever, the board made it virtually impossible for him to practice again anywhere.Dr. Solomon, 61, agreed to surrender his medical licenses in Maryland and three other jurisdictions -- Ohio, New York and the District of Columbia.The state Board of Physician Quality Assurance went further, stipulating that Dr. Solomon can never seek reinstatement in Maryland.

An article in early editions of The Sun Thursday incorrectlycharacterized the bankruptcy petition filed earlier in the week byDr. Neil Solomon. It was a Chapter 13 filing.The Sun regrets the errors.Dr. Neil Solomon has filed for bankruptcy, delaying proceedings in the multimillion-dollar lawsuits filed by three former patients who allege he improperly engaged in sexual relationships with them.The Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition was filed Monday in the federal bankruptcy court in Baltimore. Under Chapter 7, a court-appointed trustee distributes assets among creditors if there are assets to be applied to any debts.

Is Maryland ready for a Perot-style candidate? We may find out. A new name has surfaced in the 1994 gubernatorial sweepstakes, one that is different enough to grab voters' attention: Dr. Neil Solomon.Yes, this is the Neil Solomon who served as this state's first - and most controversial -- secretary of health and mental hygiene; who has written a string of best-selling health books; who's a veteran of the TV talk-show circuit; whose syndicated column is a newspaper staple; and who has resurfaced as chairman of the governor's commission on drug abuse, alcoholism and AIDS.

A state panel permanently stripped Dr. Neil Solomon of his medical license yesterday after the former Maryland health secretary admitted to having sex with at least eight patients over the past 20 years.In perhaps its harshest sanction ever, the board made it virtually impossible for him to practice again anywhere.Dr. Solomon, 61, agreed to surrender his medical licenses in Maryland and three other jurisdictions -- Ohio, New York and the District of Columbia.The state Board of Physician Quality Assurance went further, stipulating that Dr. Solomon can never seek reinstatement in Maryland.

MANY a would-be governor's hat is now in the ring. But only one of those hats is going to hang in the Governor's Mansion in Annapolis come early 1995.As for the others, alas! They are the defeated, the almost remembered, the also-rans, even the asterisk or two. They are the ones who never made it.Go back to 1954. Theodore R. McKeldin won handily. But can you recall his opponent who was also reasonably well known?He was Harry Clifton Byrd, the ebullient president of the University of Maryland College Park.

Is Maryland ready for a Perot-style candidate? We may find out. A new name has surfaced in the 1994 gubernatorial sweepstakes, one that is different enough to grab voters' attention: Dr. Neil Solomon.Yes, this is the Neil Solomon who served as this state's first - and most controversial -- secretary of health and mental hygiene; who has written a string of best-selling health books; who's a veteran of the TV talk-show circuit; whose syndicated column is a newspaper staple; and who has resurfaced as chairman of the governor's commission on drug abuse, alcoholism and AIDS.