Great Falls daily tribune., 1920-05-21

New York, May 16.-Dignified words
have recently passed between Senator
France of Maryland and the Women
Medical association of New York City,
as a result of which American medlcal
women may play a larger part IN our
government. Senator France has IN
troduced bill Ito establish an executive
department to be known as the depart
ment of public health and this bill is
the country to be q very good one and
much needed. 1t has been pointed out
before that, although we have depart
ment of agriculture which studies very
tenderly all the needs and desires OF the
horse. the cow, and the humble dog. we
have no department devoted exclusively
to the health of the American citizen,
who surely might be regarded as OF as
much Importance to the government as
the livestock he possesses. Inc most
Uncle Sam has done for him so far, IN
the way of aiding and abetting him IN .t tne
pursuits of a 100 per cent rugged con-
stitution. is to maintain a public health
service for him, as q sort OF subordinate
division of the treasury department: ano
bureau of chemistry, as a suoordinate
division of the department of agriculture
Nation Not Healthy.
The war reused us little out OF onr
complacent feeling of ell-being oy
showing us that we were only w pei
cent efficient after all. which is not
statistic to boast about. Then the in
| fIuenza epidemics gave us another jar
Many people both in the medical pro-
| fession and out of it. believe that q
| strong, central department or heaitn
| would be of great value in meeting sucn
national emergencies by. better co-ordi-
mating the activities of the various state
| departments of health. by standardlzing
| public health reports. and by overseeing
| the furtherance of the nations pnyslcai
| welfare generally.
In the department of public health, as
| proposed by Senator France, there would
| be established bureau of vital stats
| tics and publications. a bureau OF SAM
| tation. bureau Of child and school hy-
| yiene a bureau of foods and drugs.
| bureau of nursing, bureau OF tuoercu-
| losis. and a bureau of personnel
But to get back to the Women Meu,
| jcal association. There was just one
| fault to find with the hill as the women
saw it. In framing it Senator France
had almost entirely overlooked the well
| known fact that the American nation
| is composed of two sexes. Not so very
| long ago this would have been an un-
derstandable oversight. but Of late year
| the public spirited actlvlties OF tne Amer
! lean woman have gained her the recog
milton of citizenship almost everywhere
! in the country And the women in the
| medical profession probably work as
well as scientific achievements.
Women Protest.
| The Women's Medical association o
New York. after reading this bill. wrote
a letter to Senator France endorsinj
the bill very highly. with one very EN-
phatic exception. They took exception t
the fact that the bill expressly provide
that all Of the officers of the heait'
department except one shall be men. Ii
objecting to this provision, the womel
doctors mentioned. among other things
that the director of the federal burea'
Of child hygiene in Washington is
woman; and that the similar department
Of New York state. considered the fines
in the world. was organized, develope'
and is still run by woman
They pointed out that women a
doctors have made gooG, and they de
manded that Senator France give then
the same recognition as men. and max