The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-08-02

Reply TO Dean Winslow was
drafted BY DR. Thurman B. Rice Of
the state health department. upon
whose recommendations the s85 900
budget savings reorganization was
based.
The savings included as the larg-
est item abolition Of the s65,00O
child hygiene and maternity well
fare departments under DR.. Ada z.
SchWeitzer. This work was opposed
particularly by the doctors through
the Indiana Medical Association, II
was said.
It is this point which is stressed
by Winslow, who contends that the
common good. as well as welfare
Of the medical group. should be the
objective in public health.
Not All Are UnSelfish
Following are excerpts from the
article in which he deals with In
diana.
This question Of the relative part
10 be played by the official health
service and the private practitioner
in the field of preventive medicine
involves the discussion Of peculiar
~ difficult situation which has
arisen in a number of communities
in the last few months.
The medical profession inherits
an almost priestly social tradition,
and the vast majority of its MEM
bers still practice a ministry of heal
ing and not a business inspired by
the profit motive.
No group. however. can be made
up entirely of unselfish and devoted
individuals.
"A certain small. but active. sec
ton OF the profession long has
viewed. with disapproval, the OPP
portunities offered 10 certain of its
members by salaried positions in the
public health service.
Charges Indiana Service Wrecked
This group has considered that
such services constituted unfair
competition with individualistic
private practice, forgetting that the
full-time and part-time medical
employees of health departments who
are rendering good medical service
to the public have their own rights
and privileges as members of the
profession.
This group has seen in the
present crisis an opportunity to
eliminate such competition and in
certain communities apparently has
made a concerted effort TO cripple
public health service by allying it
self with economic groups bent on
indiScriminate tax-reduction.
In Indiana such an alliance has
wrecked the state health organiza-
ton In Tennessee it tried to do so
but failed.
Medical Sabotage" Blamed
Such activities have been de-
Scribed somewhat severely but with
some justice. as medical sabotage.
They may take various forms. but.
in general. they involve me reor-
ganization of health boards so as
10 give control TO the organized
medical profession and the replace
ment of experienced full-time pub
lie health experts by part-time men
closely associated with the reaction
airy group Of physicians.
The medical profession should be
well represented on the health
boards but no single profession fair
~ can represent the pubic inter
est as a whole
To turn over the public health
service. or any part of it TO physi-
clans unframed in public health
and pledged 10 the idea of elimi-
mating So-called unfair competi-
ton is like entrusting the police
force OF city to the representative
of a private detective agency or its
water supply to the representative
of spring water company with
the aim of so conducting the public
business that il shall not compete
with the respective private vested
interests concerned
No Essential Work" Given Up
In his reply, DR.. Rice asserted
that no essential public health
service has been surrendered.
DR.. V K Harvey. department
director. said he wanted Dean Win
slow TO inspect the department
activities when he attends the
American Public Health Association
conference here. Oct. 9-l2.
I believe he will change his
mind when he knows the facts first
hand" he declared