Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-01
, HEAL TIL INSTITUTE
PLANS UNDER WAY
Authority for Establishment
Contained In Bill Already
Approved.

Plans are under way for the establish
Haent here Of . great national institute
q health, Ia laboratories Of which the
best minds Of medical science will seek
b solve the mystery Of cancer and other
diseases whose ravages man as yet has
been powerless to master.
Authorization for the institute, which
will be to medicine what the Smith
aonian Institution has been. to
astronomy, paleontology and other fields
Of scientific research, was provided In
bill signed by the President this week.
A fund Of 100000 IS provided for
building and equipping the laboratories
IN suitable location in the Capital.
When completed and In operation,
Tie Institute Of Health, under the
administration of the Public Health
Service, will furnish America with the
world for the study and prevention Of
disease.
Purpose Of Institute.
It is expected that here viii be con-
Centrated the efforts Of leading scientists
TO ferret out the cause and cure OF man
kinds scourges, old and new, and thus
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Ameliorate suffering and reduce
economic losses due to illness
Under the new legislation Uncle Sam
will be equipped to investigate and carry
on, If advisable, the work already be-
gun privately in California with Serums
for cancer treatment. Means for FUR
thering the dangerous research into the
dread psittacoSiS or parrot fever" will
be at hand. Efforts will be launched to
he af EifNk1 AAUa eft ting
affiictionS as arteriosclerosis or
hardening of the arteries; nephritis,
various forms Of insanity and other
diseases which have baffled medical
According to DR.. A. M. stimson,
assistant surgeon general, United
States Public Health Service, plans Tor
the erection OF the laboratories are YET
In indefinite form. A site has not been
chosen, nor a design for the building
drawn, he points out. Every effort Will
be made to facilitate contamination OF
these details, however.
Financing Plans
The institute will be supported by
donations from private sources. The
Federal appropriation will take care Of
the initial cost involved in establishing
the laboratories and setting them into
operation The Government fund also
IS intended to aid in setting UP fellow
ships through which noted research
workers would be brought here from all
parts of the United States and even
from abroad to cooperate IN special
studies Until the recent bill was passed
the Federal Government had no
authority to accept funds from private
donors wishing to advance the cause
of medical research. Donations OF
$500 900 or more Will constitute me-
MORALS.
The Governments new health pro-
: ject is Endorsed by the American Medl-
cal Association, the American ASSocia-
ton for the Advancement of Science,
the American Public Health Association,
the American Chemical Society, leading
universities and men prominent In the
world of medicine and public health
generally.
Hearings held on the bill disclosed
that America is tagging behind Ger
many, Italy, France, England and other
government aid has been rendered Tor
years to physicians, chemists and other
scientists engaged in the study o. human
Ills.
Sees Great Advances.
DR.. Treat B. johnson, professor Of or
ganic chemistry at Yale University,
pointed out in the hearings that Amer
lea has "a group of young men who
are interested in science, anxious 70 see
this country give them a chance-gtve
some of the American fellows, the young
onstrate their ability" He added that
nothing could be so helpful as govern
mental support and predicted that such
help would effect great advances.
DR.. w. j, Kerr of the Public Health
Service said:
"The bulk of the work Of the past
has been the result Of the development
of bacteriology as new science. In
the future the Investigations must 60
along several lines, and they must relate
to degenerative diSeases-arterioscle
sis, degenerative diseases Of the kidneys,
degenerative diseases of the bones, GER
tain diseases Of the blood.
Chronic diseases of the blood are as
little known today as they were years
ago. 1t Is these diseases which cause
the death of members of society in their
most productive years, and it Is this
type Of disease the studies Of which must
be undertaken.
Finding New Diseases.
There are a number Of diseases that
are being discovered. It was only 40
years ago that typhoid and typhus fever
were separated by a Philadelphia physi-
combating plague on the Pacific Coast,
we discovered bacillus in ground squir-
rels which we thought was just an in
teresting phenomenon. The next ap-
pearance of that organism was diScov-
cred in connection with an outbreak of
opthalmia in Southern Indiana, and the
next discovery of the disease was In
Utah, as the deer-fly disease. and it is
proven this disease exists in "a States"
Within the Institute Of Health the
Government will be able TO coordinate
its research activities in the realm Of
public health and TO encourage private |
Investigations along similar lines. II q
certain physician or student develops a
certain technique In medicine, or iso- |
lstes a new bacillus or performs some
other contribution to public health, the |
Government will be authorized to foster |
and aid his work.
In other words, the way now Is open
FOR an organized national war against |
disease, sponsored by responsible au-
thority directed by intelligent minds
and supported, it Is hoped, by the un-
limited resources Of private wealth.
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