Evening star., 1922-10-22

the Offices OF number of the lead
ing national voluntary public health
organisations Of the country. as we'll
as numerous local health societies.
1t is likewise a favorite place for the
conventions of various medical. pub
lie health and sanitary associations.
Thus. Washington may be said to par
take of the nature of health head
quarters for the United States.
Unlike Great Britain. France and
other countries, the United States
does not have ministry or cabinet
department OF health. Instead. health
activities are carried out. directly or
| indirectly, by each OF the ten execu-
tive departments. as well as by a
! number of the Independent boards.
The principal branch of the govern
| ment concerned with national health
is the United States public health
service, which is a bureau OF the
Treasury Department. Although
there is saying among sanitarians
that public health Is purchasable," :"
the reason fo- the rather incongru-
Gus placing Of a health bureau in a
Is not a financial but historical one
The public health service originated
as the marine hospital service, estab-
lished by act of Congress approved
July 16. 1898. Under this act the
President was authorized to appoint
medical officers for the American
merchant marine. A tax of 20 cents
moDth to support the service was
levied on seamen employed on Amer
lean vessels. This tax was collected
by customs officers of the Treasury
Department. and SO the service came
under the jurisdiction of this depart
ment. where ii has remained ever
since. The name was changed in 1902
to the public health and marine hos
pital service and in 1912 to United
States public health service
The present Offices of the service
are in the Butler building. at New
Jersey avenue and r street southeast
opposite the House Office building.
and also in one of the temporary war
buildings at 16 7th street southwest.
In addition to these two offices. the
hygienic laboratory of the service Is
housed in a large building of its own
at 25th and Z streets northwest. near
| the Naval Hospital.
The functions of the public health
service now include the protection of
the United States from the introduc-
ton of disease from without. preven-
tion Of the interstate spread of dis
ease and suppression of epidemics.
MI cf1 RI
health departments, investigation of
the diseases of man. supervision and
control of biological products and
popular health instruction. The sur
geon general is Dr. Hugh S. Cum
ming. who is assisted by a personnel
of nearly 10000 physicians, surgeons,
nurses. sanitary engineers. dietitiars,
reconstruction aids. clerks and sci
entists.
THE children's bureau Of the De-
partment of Labor is another
branch of the government which
does important health work. This
bureau. which was esta blished in 1912.
has recently been charged by Con-
gress with the administration Of the
federal law for the promotion of the
welfare and hygiene of maternity
and infancy. the so-called Sheppard
Towner act. BY the terms of this
act an annual appropriation of $780,
900 is made. to be allotted to the
states on population basis. for the
purpose of conserving the health of
mothers and infants. The children's
bureau. of which Miss Grace Abbott
is chief. occupies Offices in one of the
temporary war buildings at Virginia
avenue. D and Goth streets northwest.
Besides the children's bureau. there
are also in the Department Of Labor
the women's bureau. interested in the
health and welfare of women in in
dustry, and the bureau Of labor sta
tistics, which makes studies Of indus
trial hygiene in addition to its other
duties. In tho Department OF Com
merce is tho division OF vital statis-
tics of the bureau of the census. The
birth and death statistics collected
by this division. under the direction
of DR.. W. n. Davis. form the book
keeping Of public health. The De-
bureaus interested in health con-
servation. In the bureau of educa-
ton is the division Of school hygiene.
Of which DR.. w. S. Small is chief.
The bureau of Indian affairs has an
important medical section, directed
by DR.. r. E. L. Newberne. and tho
bureau Of mines looks after the health
and safety Of miners. DR.. r. r. Say
ers is chief surgeon here. The 1nte-
rior Department also controls the
Government Hospital for the Insane
(St. Elizabeth's) and the Freedmen's
Hospital in the District Of Columbia.
Passing to the Department Of Agri-
culture, there are still more bureaus
dealing with public health. The bu-
reau of chemistry conducts the
analytical work, under the pure food
and drugs act. in its own building
at 216 18th street southwest. The
bureau of animal industry is. as its
name indicates, primarily concerned
with animals. but much Of its work
has a direct bearing on human health.
The bureau. under tho direction of
DR.. J. R. Mohler. has made important
studies on tuberculosis, anthrax.
rabies, botulism and other diseases.
as well rs inspecting meat supplies
and developing sanitary methods OF
milk production. The bureau Of ento-
mology studies insects carrying dis
eases, such as the mosquito. which
transmits malaria; the bureau of bio
logical survey. among various things,
attempts to eradicate the rat and the
plaeue-carryiuE ground squirrel of