Evening star., 1927-04-11
NATIONAL HEALTH
INSTITUTE PLANNED
American Chemical Society
Hears Report on Project
for Capital.
Rv the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
RICHMOND, Va, April 1I-Plans
to foster the establishment by the
United States Government of ma
tional institute Of health were an
nounced here last night in a report
of the committee on an institute Tor
chemo- o-uedical research, of which LII
Charles II. Herty of New York CITY,
adviser to the Chemical foundatloh'
is chairman.
The report. made public by Dr
George u. Rosengarten or Phlladei-
phia. president Of the American Chem-
icaI Society. which opens its seventy
third annual meeting here today, puf-
poses "to give all possible help III the
work Of public and official educauon
which must be carried out as an es-
sential factor in the success Of this
movement"
Chairman Herty said that the Ma
4iou's chemists were anxious to work
with the Government in "a compre-
hensive Federal campaign against the
unconquered enemies of human health
and to cut the annual cost of drugs,
doctors and hospitals, which in the
United States has already reached one
billion dollars and is mounting.
Health Clearing House.
The Federal Government the report
asserted, should prosecute thorough
~ organized war on human disease
and should establish in Washington
a world clearing house of health.
The committee urged support of the
hill introduced in Congress just before
adjournment by Senator RansdeH OF
Louisiana to establish national in
stitute of health. to authorize in
creased appropriations for the I1y-
gienic Laboratory and to authorize the
Government TO accept donations for
use in ascertaining the cause, preven-
tion and cure of diseases affecting hui
man beings.
Following conferences between Sem
ator Ransdell, Surgeon General Cum
ming of the United States Public
Health Service and Chairman Herty, 1t
was decided to launch nationwide edu-
cationaI efforts to eliminate the cause
of ailments from which millions Of
people suffer and about which little
is known.
War on Many Ills.
Through research it is proposed to
attack the common cold, which, 1t was
said, results in more deaths and eco
nomic waste than any other disease;
influenza, before which modern medi-
cine was described as impotent;
measles, pneumonia, tuberculosis and
cancer, childbed sickness, bright's dis
ease, mental troubles. heart lesion and
infantile paralysis, called a persistent
curse to childhood.
1t is planned to have the National
Institute of Health under the jurisdic-
ton of the Treasury Department and
the administrative control of the sur
geon general of the Public Health Serv-
ice. Congress will be asked to au-
thoriZe the erection and equipment of
the necessary building in or near the
District of Columbia.
1t is hoped to have Congress sane
ton the acceptance of private gifts to
promote study. investigation and re-
search in pure science in connection
with the institute, and in cooperation
with the United States Hygienic Labor
atory. The surgeon general would be
authorized to establish fellowships and
utilize the proceeds in aid of individual
scientists who have demonstrated
marked proficiency in research and in
vestigation relating to the diseases
of man.
The facilities of the institute would
be available to health authorities of
States, counties or municipalities for
purpose or instruction and inveStiga-
tion. Congress viii be requested to
appropriate $5.000,000 to acquire site
and for five years to build new and en-
larged quarters for the Hygienic Lab
oratory and to establish fellowships.
Alcohol Outcry Scored.
, Ignorance, politics and bootlegging
are largely responsible for the outcry
against poisoned alcohol declared a
report by the committee on industrial
alcohol. No one, the committee
warned, should be deceived into think
ing that the administration of the
national prohibition act, as amended,
can be made an easy matter through
legislation or by means of regulations.
'The agitation against certain for
mulas for the denaturation of alcohol,
especially those involving the use of
methanol," the report said, sis at
tributable mainly to three causes.
"An ignorant belief that denatured
alcohol without added poison would
be a beverage and that poison is
added by the Government to make its
use as a beverage dangerous; the vote
attracting possibilities of any measure
that Is aimed to protect the innocent
drinker of denatured alcohol or of
illicit drinks L.ade from it, and the
vague hope that such agitation may
result In changes that will make the
bootleggers' work easier and the
drinkers supply more plentiful and
Nafer"