You've probably never of her, but Frances Kelsey may have saved your life. Sometimes it takes a scandal to get the public's attention, but it also helps to have a courageous figure who takes on big business to protect public health and safety.

There are plenty of places around the globe where the private sector isn't burdened by regulation. Like Bangladesh, where under-regulated factory operations yield cheap clothing at the price of human life. Or China, where you can't ever be quite sure what you're eating and whether it will poison you.

Some members of Congress are trying to reign in this shadow drug industry, compounding pharmacies, by giving the FDA the authority to regulate these firms. But the industry is fighting back, using its political clout to resist federal standards.

Do the graphic warnings the Food and Drug Administration would like to require on cigarettes -- which depict, for instance, a woman crying uncontrollably -- violate the free speech clause of the Constitution?

Deadly outbreaks of foodborne illnesses have been all too common in recent years, from salmonella-tainted peanut butter to E. coli in vegetables. We now have a real opportunity to reverse this disturbing trend, if we do it the right way.

With the failure of the Congressional Joint Select Committee to reach any type of an agreement on budget reduction measures, there will be automatic cuts that take place for many programs and agencies, most notably NIH and the FDA.