Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-20
Health Officer Crippled in Two
important Divisions.
LIMITATION A HARDSHIP
May Spend for Salaries But $4,000
of $25, 900 for Distinction.
NO EMERGENCY DURING YEAR
Had Their Been Serious Outbreak
of Contagious Disease City
Would Have Suffered.

serious situation in regard to the
Districts contagious disease service and
the disinfecting service confronts the
commissioners, who will ask Congress for
an emergency appropriation of $1,000 to
continue the disinfectng work now neces-
sary. The Commissioners also will I'M
doubtedly ask Congress to remove the
hampering limitations on the contagious
disease service which have resulted in
situation which makes it necessary that
non-medical men shall be employed to
ward off all contagious diseases
Only d few hundred dollars is available
to operate the disinfecting service, and
the health office needs $4,000 more. A
defective boiler condemned recently in one
Of the disnfecting plants took about
$1,000 of the 5000 appropriation.
Less Than Thousand Dollars.
With that heavy expense added to the
regular cost of running the service, the
health office finds itself today with less
than $1,000
Coupled with the lack of funds for dis
injecting purposes. DR.. Woodward makes
second appeal to the Commissioners to
nave Congress remove from the appro-
priation for the CONTAGIOUS disease sery-
ice. the limitation as to how much NAV
be expended for personal services. The
appropriation act now in force was passed
SO that 1t Is now law that not over
$4,000 shall be expended for personal
services in the contagious disease service.
The entire appropriation is $4,000 AS
most OF the contagious disease service
activity is personal activity, DIR. Wood
ward explains that the limitation puts a
drag on the whole department. AS the
appropriation now stands, $4,000 can be
expended for drugs. etc, but it is explain
ed in the health department that $1,000
worth OF drugs is enough to do nearly all
the disinfecttng in the world. No such
limitation has appeared in previous bills
affecting the contagious disease service.
Cuts OFF Medical Men.
The way the Limitation has worked has
taken medical men from the contagious
disease service. The men who are now
engaged in keeping the city free from
contagfOn are not medical men at ALL
DR.. Woodward's explanation to the
Commissioners is:
1T would not have been possible to
keep the expenditures for salaries or
compensations for personal services down
to SO small a figure had there been a
considerable number Of cases of small
pox reported or had scarlet fever pre-
vailed to the same extent that 1t did dur
ing the latter part of the last fiscal year.
ulS LOT the contagious dis
ease service must be looked upon as In
the nature of an emergency appropria-
ton. to be drawn on in larger or smaller
amounts according as contagious dis
eases of various kinds are more or less
prevalent-a condition which cannot be
determined beforehand, and yet a con-
dition which must be COPIED with when
1t arises For the same reason the amount
necessary for personal services cannot be
determined beforehand, but depends on
uncertain happenings. and should there
fore be left to the discretion of the Com
missloners and of the health officer, rather
than be limited by the appropriation act