Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-14
LIFE NOW WASTED
Senators Urge Passage of
Owen Health Service Bill.
BUREAU PROVIDED FOR
Would Attempt Reduction Of Nor
tality Of Nation.
POWERS TO BE SWEEPING
Various Similar Divisions Of Gov
eminent Would Be United
Under One Head.
POWERS TO BE SWEEPING

For the conservation of human life the
owen bill for the establishment of a
United States public health service was
approved by the Senate committee on
public health yesterday and its passage
by Congress recommended to the Senate.
Over 100000 lives are annually snuffed
out in this country, the committee says.
in recommending the passage Of this bill,
because Of the lack Of knowledge Of self
preservation. The new health service,
just short Of a department Of public
health, is expected to reduce the ma
tional mortality andHpromote longevity.
The United States public health service
is to be an Independent executive service.
headed by director appointed by the
President and confirmed by the Senate for
a term of six years and at $1,000 a year.
There are to be divisions of public health,
foods and drugs, vital statistics. child
conservation. sanitary engineering per-
sonnet and accounts and publication.
Divisions Are Transferred.
In the division OF public health is to
be included the present public health and
marine hospital service. The foods and
drugs division is to be transferred from
the bureau of chemistry of the Depart
ment of Agriculture, and the bureau Of
vital statistics from the Department Of
Commerce and Labor.
Incidental to the favorable action Of
the Senate committee on this bill after
months of discussion and elaboration a
delegation of physicians representing the
American Medical Association Yesterday
urged President Taft to use his influence
to effect the proposed consolidation of all
the health bureaus of the government
under one head.
The committees report urging the pas
sage OF the bill, drafted by Senator
Owen Of Oklahoma, lays emphasis upon
the waste OF human life and the conse-
quent financial loss in the United States
and cites what has been done in the
way of improving the public health in
the Panama Canal Zone and in Cuba as
showing the possibilities of the proposed
union of the health bureaus
Life Could Be Prolonged.
Human life could be prolonged fourteen
years in the United States If the people
were properly informed in self-preserva-
ton, as was demonstrated in the report
on national vitality says the report.
The annual death rate in the United
~
in excess OF what it should be under i'm
proved conditions, making an unncces-
sary loss of life in 9O.OOO,OOO Of people
of approximately 10000 men, women and
children annually. whose lives ought to
be saved.
This annual loss upon any reasona Bile
basis may easily be estimated at the
commercial value of two thousand mil
lions of dollars annually.
Nearly as great loss is due to the
0fT iOin nvnl 49,
ductive power of nearly 100000 persons
who are sick on an average during the
year, and who must be cared for during
such preventable illness.
The pension roll. which costs the
United States over $16O. 600, 900 annually.
is three-fourths due to death and disease
which was preventable.
Preventable Diseases.
During the Spanish war. in the four
Embellishments Alger, Meade and
Jacksonville-there were over 1900 cases
of typhoid fever. with a loss of 1,46O
Of the finest young men in America, near
~ all of which was preventable.
1.-The pfeventable deaths in the United
States are caused by polluted water, i'm
pure and adulterated foods and drugs,
foul air. bad ventilation, ignorance of
the health laws VS.. of hyginsne' Of
care and to epidemics and various
preventable diseases, such as tubercu-
losis, typhoid and malarial fevers.
a splendid illustration Of what can
be done is shown I'm the control of
yellow fever in Cuba. In 1896 yellow
fever deaths in Havana. Cuba, amounted
to $50 to the 100000, but after the Amer
lean occupation and the great discovery
of James Carroll. Lazier. Walter Reed
and Agrimonte. the death rate fell in
13~r
ing, in 1903 to nothing and in 1904 to
nothing.
Except for this discovery it would
have been impossible for the United
States to have built the Panama canal,
and on the Panama canal the death rate,
more than One-haf what it is in the
United States"
Criticisms Answered.
Answering the criticisms of the bill on
the ground that 1t promoted doctors
trust the report says:
This bill provides that the health sery-
ice shall not interfere with any of the
functions belonging exclusively to the
states, nor permit any one to enter the
premises of private persons without the
owners permission or occupants permis-
sion, and shall have no power to regulate
the practice OF medicine or the practice
of healing. or to interfere with the right
Of q citizen to employ the practitioner Of
his choice. or to make any discrimination
in favor Of or against any school Of
medicine or of healing.
1.-THE opposition which has been stirred
up against the establishment Of an indie
pendent health service has proceeded upon
the assumption that the health service
he vSsynt NJ l,fp
interfere with the citizen in employing
the practitioner Of his choice. or to inter-
fere with the states In the regulation of
the practice of medicine or the practice
Of healing. The bill permits nothing OF
the sort. It forbids it,
NYHOFF Is DISCHARGED.