Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-12-15
NATIONAL HEALTH WORK
BY II. Addington Bruce

a ANSWERING query as to the functions
~ of the United States Public Health
Service,I would begin by saying that
its primary purpose is the broadly general
one of lessening the occurrence of disease
throughout the country.
With this purpose in view the public
health service carries on most varied actvi-
ties, some quite Independent of the health
conserving efforts Of state and local organi-
cations, others in, close cooperation with
these
When quarantine to prevent the entry of
disease from other countries is needed, the
maintaining of such quarantine is admins
assists in the maintaining of domestic quar-
antine and the suppressing of epidemics Of
disease in any state or group of states
On request of any state, moreover, the
public health service stands ready to coop
crate in special measures looking to the bet
tier safeguarding of the health of the peo-
pie Of that state or community in the state
This whether it is a question of some emer-
gency or more general question of health
betterment.
Thus, the health service has done much
valuable work in helping to free many To-
calities from malaria through Kidding them
of Misunderstanding mosquitoes It has nota-
bly, assisted in plague prevention in various
sections of the country, particularly surveys
made by the public health service and
specific recommendations resulting there
from.
To its credit must also be put the lessen
Ing OF many evils menacing the health of
sundry classes in every community-such
as children, travellers, and industrial work
erS.
1T has p9mD9ipnpd c11ooocCfu11v h.
once prevalent but readily preventabIe
blindness of the newborn" it has promoted
thea medical examination of school children
and through child health demonstrations in
d1fterent states it has impressed on the pub
lie the great Importance of child hygiene
travellers likewise have peculiar reason to
be grateful to the United States public
health service, if only because of it's sys-
tematlc inspection of the sources of drink
ing supplies for railways and steamboats,
And If the traveller Journeys to any of the
great western national parks he will find
the sanitation of their hotels and camps
under the direct supervision of the health
service.
In behalf of the industrial workers this
same public health service continually
labors, through research and education, to
lessen occupationaI hazards. Research into
the causes of disease is, indeed, one of its
outstanding activities, and it has made
some splendid contributions to medical
knowledge.
To give single instance, the mystery
surrounding the dread disease of pellagra
remained mystery until, few years ago,
United States public health service workers
demonstrated its cause in a faulty diet. All
the while the service has investigators en-
gagged in studying one, or another problem
of disease, observing, experimenting and re-
porting.
1t maintains hospitals of its own, has
workers abroad as well as in the United
States, and through its bulletins serves as
clearinghouse for health information. Of
all this beneficent endeavor the public is
too little aware, with the result of a gem
eral under-appreciation of what is really one
of the most useful departments in the Amer
lean federal system.
Copyright, 1929