Pharmaceutical Advertising in the Journal

To the Editor: I found it ironic that Dr. Douglas Waud's impassioned Sounding Board article (July 30 issue),* which strongly opposed the acceptance by physicians of gifts from pharmaceutical companies, either direct or indirect (e.g., a subsidy for registration at a scientific meeting), appeared in a medical journal that carries substantial advertising from pharmaceutical companies. To the extent that such advertising revenue subsidizes the subscription rates for its readers, would Dr. Waud consider the Journal as a conduit for another "bribe" from the pharmaceutical industry to the medical profession? Does the editor of the Journal consider pharmaceutical advertising a bribe . . .