Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed

The New York Times: In The House Of Psychiatry, A Jarring Tale Of Violence
The annual gathering of the American Psychiatric Association is a dignified and collegial affair, full of scholarly exchanges, polite laughter and polite applause. So it was a shock, for those who took their seats in Room 1E08 of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, to watch a powerfully built 32-year-old man choke back tears as he described being slammed to the floor and cuffed to a stretcher in a psychiatric unit. Because the man, Matthew Tuleja, had been a Division I football player, he had a certain way of describing the circle of bodies that closed around him, the grabbing and grappling and the sensation of being dominated, pinned and helpless. (Barry, 5/21)

AP: Can Pink Noise Enhance Sleep And Memory? Early Research Drives A Color Noise Buzz
You may have heard of white noise used to mask background sounds. Now, it has colorful competition. There’s a growing buzz around pink noise, brown noise, green noise — a rainbow of soothing sounds — and their theoretical effects on sleep, concentration and the relaxation response. The science is new with only a few small studies behind it, but that hasn’t stopped thousands of people from listening to hours of these noises on YouTube and on meditation apps that provide a palette of color noises with paid subscriptions. (Johnson, 5/20)

The Washington Post: Rising Waters Plague Septic Tanks, Threatening Pollution And Health Risks
Rising sea levels along the Southeast and Gulf Coast pose a problem for septic systems, which could cause environmental damage and exacerbate health risks if they fail. (Dennis, Crowe and Muyskens, 5/22)

The Wall Street Journal: The EPA Cop Who Became A Warrior For ‘Forever Chemicals’
As a young toxicologist at the Environmental Protection Agency in the 1980s, Michael Dourson played a central role in figuring out how to gauge whether chemicals are harmful to humans, and at what levels. “Mike was a young up-and-comer,” said Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, a former senior EPA official who once worked under Dourson as a risk assessor. “He was at the forefront of helping to develop the guidelines for evaluating risk at the agency”—work that to this day is cited favorably by environmentalists. Now 72 years old, Dourson has become one of the EPA’s most dogged critics. (Pulliam, 5/22)

NBC News: Body Lice May Have Spread Plague More Than Thought, Science Suggests
Scientists have long debated whether human body lice might have helped drive the rapid spread of the bacteria responsible for the deadly plague in the Middle Ages, known as the Black Death. It’s clear that rat fleas played a major role, but some population studies have suggested that bites from those fleas might not have been enough to drive a plague that killed tens of millions in Europe, Asia and other countries in the 14th century. (Carroll, 5/21)

The Wall Street Journal: ‘A Fatal Inheritance’ Review: A Legacy Of Cancer 
Over time, scientists discovered that cancer could have a genetic component. Some families proved to be tragically hexed. (Shaywitz, 5/19)

The Washington Post: After A Maryland Teen’s Suicide, Can His Prep School Be Held Responsible? 
Charlie Schnell killed himself after his parents say the Landon School ignored warning signs and accused him of drawing a racist image. Now they’re suing. (Morse, 5/23)

Politico: Infected Blood: UK Reckons With Its Worst Health Scandal 
It’s been called the worst treatment disaster in the history of the National Health Service. Thousands of people in the U.K. died — with many more falling ill — after being treated with unsafe blood products between 1970 and 1991. But, decades after they were let down by the state, British victims of the world-wide infected blood scandal are still waiting for amends. On Monday, the official inquiry into what went wrong finally reports. And families hope it has their back. (Bloom and Honeycombe-Foster, 5/20)