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The Seattle Times’ investigative report “Quantity of Care” exposes the grave flaw of unchecked ambition that corrupts even the most fundamental ethical mandate of medicine: “First, do no harm.”

A department chair of mine at State University of New York at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine wisely said, “The only problem with dentistry is that you can make a lot of money doing it.” So, too, for neurosurgery and a number of health-care specialties.

Fortunately, there are many fine, talented and ethical professionals out there whose definition of success does not include the quest to be rich at the expense of their patients, and who overcome the demands of avaricious administrators.

Your report also highlights our need for robust daily newspapers.

J. Richard Durnan, DDS, Seattle