Dear Ann Landers,
s you un-doubtedly are aware, a great deal is being said against the funeral-service profession of late. I would like to pre-sent the other side of the controversy since almost everything I have read casts the funeral director in the role of the rip-off artist who takes advantage of poor people by making them feel guilty if they don't put Pa or Ma away in a $4,000 bronze casket. The charges against the profession are based on an infinitesimal sampling of families, made in one small area of the United States. The statistics I have seen indicate that there were approxi-mately 100 complaints from nearly a million families who were served. This compares very favorably with any pro-fession in the United States. In fact, I believe it's a testimony to the integrity of the profession. Will you please com-ment? UNJUSTLY MALIGNED

DEAR U.M.,
Every profession has its chiselers, con artists and incompetents. Funeral directors, along with the phy-sicians, lawyers, bankers, etc., have their share. But I'm sure the over-whelming majority of morticians are honorable people who perform a serv-ice we could not do without. More-over, they perform it with dignity and sensitivity and are extremely even- handed in that they offer a wide range of financial alternatives for people of every economic level. I know of a funeral director in Chi-cago whose family has been in business since 1864. Rarely does this firm charge more than a token fee for the burial of an infant and in cases of financial hardship they either donate their services or they will accept as a fee whatever the family can afford. Gallbladder Disease An inflamed gallbladder and the gallstones affecting the gallbladder and the bile tubes are common troublemakers. The usual treatment for acute gallbladder disease is to remove the gall-bladder and any stones that may be found in the tubes that carry bile from the liver to the intestine, as well as to and from the gallbladder. This is the usual treatment but frequently variations are necessary. THE PATIENT'S DECISION Since each person's medical history is unique, individualized treatment is essential. The surgeon recommends what the treatment should be. His advice is based on studying his patient's history, physical examination, laboratory tests, and X rays in terms of his understanding of this disease and his experi-ence with it. An operation will not be performed without your consent, but the recom-mendation of your surgeon should be given careful consideration. His train-ing and experience qualify him to best evaluate your health needs. If you are not completely satisfied with your physician's evaluation-get another opin-ion. IS SURGERY ALWAYS NECESSARY? In some cases an operation may not be necessary. In some cases gall-bladder disease may be controlled for a while with medicine and special diets. Generally, however, a patient with gallbladder disease sooner or later must have his gallbladder removed. DELAY OF SURGERY? Some patients may experience an attack of gallbladder pain for a few days, then later appear to be quite well. During this well period a patient may de-cide not to follow his physician's advice. Such delay may be unwise, since the disease may then damage surrounding tissues. If gallstones are present, delay could lead to plugging of the bile tubes by these stones, a condition requiring emergency surgery. EMERGENCY OPERATIONS A dangerously ill patient may require an emergency operation that merely drains the gallbladder. For some other patients the surgeon may remove the gallbladder and any existing gallstones. An operation on a dangerously ill person naturally involves more risk than one performed in the more or less "well" period between attacks. Very ill patients may require more than one operation. Some patients are too ill to undergo the immediate removal of the gallbladder. In such cases the only possible operation is to open and drain the gallbladder and then at a later date remove the diseased organ. Approximately 10 percent of the U.S. population has gallstones. Stones are more common in Caucasians, Mexicans and Indians than in Negroes and Orientals. They also are more common in women than in men, especially in fat women and those who have had pregnancies. THE TROUBLED GALLBLADDER The physician uses a number of methods to identify the gallbladder and the bile ducts as the site of a patient's trouble. Among these are laboratory and X-ray tests, jaundice or yellowing of the skin and the location and char-acter of the pain. Your physician will study all of these factors as well as other signs or symptoms he may observe to determine what treatment is needed. The patient with gallbladder disease may experience some or all of a vari-ety of signs and symptoms including pain, swelling and tenderness in the ab-domen, jaundice, indigestion, vomiting and a loss of appetite. Usually pa-tients experience a combination of these disturbances. They may occur at any time of day but discomfort is most often felt after meals, especially after heavy meals containing fat and fried foods. IN BRIEF Gallbladder disease is not uncommon. A chronically infected gallbladder usually is not functioning and is filled with stones. When acutely inflamed it may become a surgical emergency. Gallstones are prone to cause emergencies by obstructing the neck of the gallbladder or the bile ducts, which results in jaundice and liver damage. Chronic inflammation in a stone-filled gallbladder may lead to cancer of the gallbladder. There sometimes are good reasons for not performing surgery at any par-ticular time, but almost all patients with gallbladder inflammation or gall-stones will eventually need surgical removal of the offending gallbladder. credit: American Medical Association. Billions of dollars-exactly how many no one knows for sure-are lost annu-ally on crap tables, roulette wheels, slot machines, at race tracks, dog tracks, around poker tables, mah-jongg tables, at bingo, bridge, backgammon, checkers and chess. Some people will bet on whether the sun will rise tomor-row. All too often the people who can least afford to lose are the ones who do it. It's the rent money, the kids' shoes, the wife's dental work, the grocery bill, etc. Here are a few samples from last week's mail: "We are drowning in debt but he can't stay away from the track. Last week he lost his whole paycheck. He promised-'No more. I've had it.' Well he's gone again today." "She's hooked on bingo and there's nothing I can do to keep her from going to the games. It's every night-and she has to play four cards at a time." "He makes a good living but loses everything on the crap tables. I've cried, begged and pleaded, but it doesn't do any good." "If it's not mah-jongg, it's canasta or bridge or pam. That woman can't stay away from the cards. We'll be eating hot dogs and hamburgers for two weeks." "His poker losses have kept us broke. And it's got him in with bad com-pany. He plays with a very crummy bunch of guys. I think they are racket-eers and I'm worried sick." And so it goes. Week after week I get these heartbreaking letters. I'm con-vinced that gamblers, like alcoholics, are powerless against the compulsion they know will ruin them. There's a streak of self-destruction in these people-along with the thrill of risk-taking. They need help as surely as the alcoholic. The following letter and my answer will tell you what you need to know if you or someone close to you has the problem.