civil servants

Deriding government bureaucrats seems to be a popular pasttime among certain politicians and talk-radio hosts, so it's nice every so often to remind ourselves about the important and valuable work our civil servants do. An article by Patricia Sullivan in the Washington Post provides a glimpse into the world of one longtime federal-government employee who's made a difference for public health. Lawrence Deyton is currently director of the Food and Drug Aministration's Center for Tobacco Products, and he also spent many years working on clinical trials of HIV drugs and a range of veterans health…