C,

EVet-ett  Koop, M-D,, SC-D-

Surgeon   General

       Of   -t;he

United   States   Pub1 i c   Health   Set-vi cze

REMARKS

Presented at   Ellis   Island,   New   YOt-k

September 28.   1989


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Dr _   Chang,

Mr,   Buckley,

Lad i es   and  gentlemen,

We  gather i n'  this  spectacul at-

setti ng to   t-emembe r   and   pay

tribute to   the   roots   f r-om  which

We   grow.     El 1 is   Island --   mot-e

than   any  symbol in  Ameri&a --

calls to  mi nd   our  history as a

nation 0-f  immigrants, 0-f   men

women   and  chi lldrn   who   gave up

establ i shed  ways of   life to

gamble on   the  possib-il-i-ties o-f

the   New  Worlld

F ram  1892 when  the  f-i rst

immigration   station   was  opened

her-e in   New   York   harbot-   unti 1

iZhEtSC2  faci 1 ities   we t-P  pad 1 ocked

in  1954, it is  estimated   that


more  than 12   million   would--be


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Americans  passed  Chrough   Ellis

Island-

-r-o  many it   was   known   the   Isle of

Hope -     OtLhESb-S   referred to it as

the   Isle o-f=  Tears,   bO-lLh   for   the

r-ending  separations   that

sometimes  odcurred   here as   we1 1


as   -FOt-  the   -t;earfu 1   t-eunions   -t&hat.

often   took  place on   ILt-lSStS   FE?W


acres -                                                 e
                                                               *

As   YOU   al 1   know,   the   Nati onal

Pat-k  Service in  conjunctions with

the   Stalz.ue 0-f  l-i berty   Foundat;ion

have   been  engaged in   the

magni-Ficent   work o-f=  t-ester-i ng o-f

the   Great   Hall to   create   what

will be   the   Ellis   Island

Nati onal   Monument _     This

Monument   that we   See   beh-i nd us

will be   one of   the?  1 asti ng

1 andmarks OF   the   historical

geography of   our-   nat-ion-     I

sal ute   the   National   Park   Service


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and   the   Statue of  L-i berty

Foundation   fOt-   the-i r   vision   and

craftsmanshi p i n  creating a

living   museum   that   wi 11   keep

-Future  genet-ati ons oT-   Americans

in   touctl   with   past   ones _

l-he  special    reason   -i=Ol-   our   visit

here  today is   another   set of


rOO-LS   -t;hat   are   i mbedded  deep in

the   so-i 1 o-f   this   island --   the

roots of   the   United  StaGes

Pub1 i c   Heal th   Service-

This   year   marks   the  Centennial
                                                           .

of an   act  signed by   President


Grovet-  Cleveland   `. to   establ i sh


the   Commi ssi oned  Corps O-F   the

Mat-i ne  Hospital   Service."     Fat-


almost a  century  prior to   tha%

date,   tihe   Federal   government   had

provided   medical   cat-e to

merchant   seaman.     This  activity


was  strengthqened in   the   12370s by

the   fortia-ti on of   the   Mat-i ne


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Hospital   Set-v-ice,   which   brought

uni-forms,   met-it  appointments   and

promotions,   and    career   set-vice

wi th  mob-i 1 -i-by to   the   mat-i ne

hospital   enterpr-i se _

MY  predecessors of   the  period.

however +   foresaw   the   need   For a

broad--based   Pub1 i c   Heal th

Set-v-ice-     -I-O  accompl i sh  this,

they  sought to   have   the   r-e-for-ms

tl-lsy   had  implemented  wr i1tten

into   law -- a  goal   achieved in

1889 by   the  passage of  i=he

Commissioned   Corps   Act   that   put

the.  off-i cers 0-F   the   Marine

HQspitial   Set-vice on a  foot-i ng

with   the-i r  counterparts i n  the (

At-my   and   the  Navy _

l-he  Marine  Hospital   Ser-vi ce   was
                                                                           #

thus  poised to   become   involved

in   bt-oader-   issues o-f   health in

America -- a  step it o took   with

the  assignment of   medical


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of-ficers to   the   new  i mmi grati on

facility on   Ellis   Island in

1892.     Few in   number dt  f-i r-St.


the  sta-ffi ng at   El 1 is   Is1 and


grew  steadily,   r-each-i ng a  high

poi n-L   when    some   350  employees of

what   had   been   t-ena.med   the   Pub1 i c

Heal -t;h   Servi cze   worked   here in


the  years  prior to   World   War 1,

               `-- . ___

PHS   work on   El 1 is   Island   was

divided   bc3tween   "The  L-i&e'* ,

examining  new1 y   arrived

immi grants;   the  staffing of   the


650   beds in   the   two  hospitals

bui 1-L   -l=Ot-   the   care of   sick

arrivals;   and  boardi ng   incoming

ships to   inspect   cargos   and

crews -

Vi rtual 1 y   every  commissioned

of-f-icer of   that  epoch   served a


tour on   Ellis   Island,     Medical

training   took  place in   the

hospitals.     Graduates of   El 1 is


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Island   were  assi gned   abroad to


screen  emi grants  prior -to

depareure,    Pioneering  work in

mental   hygiene   and   i ntell i gence

test-i ng   took   place   here. as   did


the  development of  techniques

l=Ot-   the  surgical   t3reatment of

tr-achoma   that   we t-e   1 ater  appl ied

bY   -Ltlhe   PHS  throughout   the3

American   South -

                                                               *
Following   World   War1 '

immigration  policy   became   more3

t-estr-i cti ve

and  eventiual 1 y   the  plane

rep 1 aced   the  ship as   the

principal   means of  immi gt-ation.

Al though   the   PHS   maintained   the

hospital  -`mFaci 1 ities on   the

Island   unt-i 1   1951,   the  period o-f

titanic  immigration   ended

short1 y   after   the   Fi rst  World

War -

For   the  PHS .,   though,   the  real i ty


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and   the  memory of   El 1 is   Is1 and

remai ns   alive  today _     It was


here  -that   our  professional

forbearers   moved   out of   the

marine  hospitals   and   began a

pattern of   response to   the

health   crises of   the   nati on   that

remains   `TLhe   ha1 lmark of   the

Pub1 i c   Health   Set-vi Ce  today -

l-he  PHS, in  general,   and   the

commi ssi oned  corps, in

                                                             h
parti cul ar,   has   been  re"sp0nd-i ng

t0   acute   nati onal   needs   evet-

since --  inc%luding   the heal et-7

care of   Nat-i ve  Americans,   the

i nvesti gation of  legionnaires'

d i sease   and   toxic   shock

syndrome,   the  treatment of

refugees;   and   batt 1 e  agai nst

AIDS -

It was   here   that   the  medical

of-ficet-s o-f   the   PHS   1 abored to

bri ng  science to   bear on   the

human   condition in a  systematic


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and  equitable   fashion,     l-he

-f-i r-st  democracy   that   -t.hcS

i mmi grant   was to  experience in

the   New  .Worl d    was   medical

democracy at   the   hands 0F   the

Pub1 i c   Heal th   Service on   El 1 is

Island,

And i-b   was   hers   that   ILhEz?   PHS

ma'de   its   presence   known to   -t&he

country as a   whole -- a

viabi 1 ity it   has   not  abahdoned

since-

In   several   days, I   wi 11   formal 1 y

StSp   down as   you t-  Surgeon

General -     As I do  that, I   take

with me   many   fond   memories of


the  peep 1 e   with   whom I   have

worked   over  khese  past  eight
                   "-- . -.-
years   and   the  goals we   have

reached  together.

I   al so   take   with me   the  pride o-f

having   served   this   country   and


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all of   its  people,     I   share   that

pride   with   the   men   and   women 0-F

the   I= H- S---. -0 -F   earl ier   years   who

stafFed   thSSE?  buildings,   who

traversed   this   harbor   many,   many

times.   and   who  helped to   build

today ' s   Un i ted   States _     1   sal uta

-t;hem   and   thei r   work -     And I

sal ute   the   Pub1 i c   Health   Set-vice

they  helped   build ---_   and   that

I   have   been  pr-iv-i lc3geci to   serve rn

Thank   you -