Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-03-03
ADDITIONAL NURSE
SERVICE PROPOSED
by HEALTH HEAD
DR.. Rutland Sees Need of
Checking and Curing
Disease Quickly.
CONDITIONS IN ALLEY
AREAS BEING PROBED
District Pound and Smoke Con-
trolls Held Outside Depart.
ment Sphere.

Expansion Of the nursing services
Of the District will be proposed by DR..
George C. Rutland. the new health
officer, AS a means of making the city's
health program more effective.
One purpose would be to place more
promptly under care needy persons
who have contracted communicable
diseases, so as to prevent spread OF
diseases. Another would be to get
such cases under treatment in earlier
stages to seek lower death rates.
DR.. Rutland as yet is not COM
mitted to any specific plan in this
regard but is expected to send re-
port on the subject to the Commits
sioners soon. He started study Of the
subject promptly after taking office
Friday.
To Study Alley Conditions.
The health officer. accompanied by
John Ihlder, executive officer of the
Alley Clearance Authority, will make
an inspection of insanitary condi-
tons in low class housing in a num-
Ter Of Washington areas, possibly this
week, to gain first hand information
about physical conditions that relate
to public health.
He has scheduled also a conference
with officials of the Instructive Visit
ing Nurses Society, to discuss public
nursing activities. This meeting will
be held early this week
He hopes to build up a larger city
nursing staff, which he would use in
a "generalized" nursing service, with
its members to handle all kinds Of
cases in assigned areas instead Of
having nurses travel to places
throughout the city to handle special
lied types Of cases. The District now
has 80 nurses and DR.. Rutland be-
lieves the cost of an enlarged force
would be well repaid in the discovery
and control Of incipient. as well as
disease.
tuberculosis Reports Studied.
DR.. Rutland has before him re-
ports on the prevalence of tuberculosis
in the District and the high death
rate and plans to make an inspection
of the District tuberculosis Clinic.
Indicating that he already has
formed some rather definite ideas
about the Districts health admins
tration, DR.. Rutland said yesterday
he sees no good reason why the health
officer should be In charge Of the Dis
trict Pound or why he should be
charged with administration of the
smoke law.
If the collection of stray dogs IS
properly a duty of the health officer,
you might just as readily say this
Office should be charged with the
cleaning of the streets" he said.
The health officer is not an engi-
neer and, certainly. an engineer is a
more suitable person to decide smoke
nuisance than a medical officer."
New Bills Pushed.
A campaign has been started for
a new smoke-control law and Dis
trict officials agreed the enforce
ment should rest with the Engineer
Department. One BILL drafted by
Peoples Counsel William A. Roberts,
gives the Commissioners power to
make necessary regulations and an
other bill is being drawn by COM
mittee headed by Assistant Engineer
Commissioner Howard F. Clark. The
latter places administration in the
Engineer Department.
Extension of the city nursing serv-
ice to children in the parochial
schools is being studied by DR.. Ruiz
land. Since children of a neighbor-
hood play together he believes this
step should be taken If full benefit
is to be received from nursing serv-
ices among public school children.
Hearing complaints about insani-
tary practices in some of the city's
licensed liquor places. DR.. Rutland
said he plans to insist upon en-
forcement of health requirements to
the fullest degree possible with the
present staff of inspectors. He said
he would do all possible to stop the
business of using leftover olives and
cherries and other ingredients in mix
ing of drinks.
THE public has a duty In this
connection" he said. ANY one see
ing insanitary practices should re-
port the case to this office"