The Lancet, the leading British medical journal, is publishing an editorial today savaging its owner for links to the arms trade. It said the journal's editors had been "deeply troubled" to learn recently that its owner, the English-Dutch publishing giant Reed Elsevier, was involved in organizing military arms fairs, and it called on the company to "divest itself of all business interests that threaten human, and especially civilian, health and well-being." A Reed Elsevier spokesman defended its business interests, saying, "The defense industry is central to the preservation of freedom and national security." According to its Web site, Reed Elsevier's vast holdings include the LexisNexis database, the magazine Variety and the world's largest trade show network.