Evening star., 1935-06-11
D. c. HEALTH FUND
APPEAL IS UPHELD
by COMMISSION
City Heads to Decide on
Asking Restoration or
Increase.
NEED FOR MORE CASH
CITED BY AGENCIES
Importance of Preventive Work
Pointed Out at Meeting Called
by Medical Society.

Rallying to the support of Health
Officer George C. Rutland in his fight
for more money to carry on disease
prevention work here, the District
Commissioners will decide Friday
whether to ask Congress to restore the
cut made in the health budget, or 90
further and request funds over and
above this.
This step was decided yesterday
after representatives of interested
agencies, meeting at the Board Of
Trade at the call Of the District Medi-
cal Society, had gone on record in
favor Of restoring the slash and then
bolStering the fund with q supple
mentary appropriation.
Commissioner George E. Allen con-
ferred with d.! Rutland and Auditor
Daniel j. Donovan ard it was decided
to study the question and settle on a
definite policy.
To Present Brief.
The sentiment of the Board OF Trade
meeting, summed up in a comprehen-
sive brief, is to be communicated to
members of the Senate and House Dis
trict committees, the Board of Com
miSSioners and appropriation subcom-
mitteeS of Congress.
Pointing out that a health depart-
ment stripped of the vital necessities
for operating efficiently is helpless TO
combat disease, the statement warned:
THE dying Of innocent men, wom-
en- and children from tuberculosis,
venereal and other diseases Innocent
ly contracted from infected contacts
is chargeable to those who permit it
when they have the knowledge that
they could have prevented those con-
facts by modern public health pro-
lection methods"
AS an example of preventive work,
it cited that in 1881 one city spent
$500, 900 in health work and saved
more than $2,O00,0O0 in three groups
Of diseases.
Present Health Status.
"The present health status of Wash
ington has not been reached over
night, but is the result of such type
VA A4CaAl4A 4CpdA EE4aCoL9 lOI
support in past years." it continued.
Money appropriated for the Heath
Department is on the same basis as
though Washington were still a city
little more than half its present size.
We do not feed hard-working adult
with the same ration of food as a
half-grown boy.
"You can't just explain away pre-
ventable deaths. The new health Of
flcer Is not content to do so. He is
charged with fighting battle against
the ravages of communicable disease
in city housing the main governing
machinery Of an entire Nation and in
which city the enemy has gained an
insidiouS foothold. He has only a
skeleton army. starved of funds and
the scientific ammunition with which
to battle. Today no citizen knows If
ne has contacted an unknowing car
rier Of communicable disease, includ-
ing Government employees and Of
flcials, who in time may carry it home
to other States, cities and citizens. 1t
is a possible hazard to not only
Washington citizens, but to every
CongreSSman's constituents to have
the tuberculosis and venereal disease
status that Washington, the conven-
ton city, for all constituents, has"
Ross Garrett, co-ordinator of the
Medical Economical Security Admin
istration, presided at the meeting.
Conferring with him were the follow
ing:
Miss Matte Gibson, superintendent
of Children's Hospital; M. e. Bate
man, Episcopal Ear, Eye and Throat
Hospital; Mrs. @. Rowland Chase,
president. the Instructing Visiting
Nurses Society, and Miss Gertrude H.
Bowling from the same organization;
Mrs. Frederick Dec. Faust, Child We'll
fare Society; Miss Beatrice Mullin,
Georgetown University Hospital; DR..
William H. Hough, DR.. Herbert P.
Ramsey and DR.. Sterling Rufln of the
District Medical Society; DR.. Edith
Cole, Robert j. Cottrell, executive Sec
retary of the Board of Trade; Mrs.
Ernest r. Grant and Willard S.
Smith Of the tuberculosis Association;
DR.. Muna P. G. Adams of the Medico-
chirugical Society, and r. H. Everett
of the Social Hygiene Society.