Evening star., 1936-12-28
President Extends Good
Wishes to Health Serv.
ice Gathering.
INCREASED PUBLIC
INTEREST GRATIFYING
Surgeon General Parran Tells
Gathering of Co-ordinated
Control in U. S.

United States Public Health Service
with the good wishes Of President
Roosevelt.
You have my best wishes for sue
cess" the President wrote Surgeon
General Thomas H. Parran In a letter
expressing disappointment at being
unable to attend the three-day con-
ference on veneral disease control
work, opened this morning in the
Commerce Department Auditorium.
There has been a gratifying in.
crease Of public interest in the prob
lem now before you," continued the
letter. which was read to the 800
doctors, educators and laymen on
hand for the occasion by Miss jose
phine Roche, Assistant Secretary Of
the Treasury. whose duties include
supervision of the Public Health Serv.
ice.
MY understanding is that out Of
your deliberations will come a state.
ment Of principles and methods. The
Federal Government is deeply inter.
ested in conserving the resources Of
the country. and your work will do
much to conserve the human re.
sources"
Dangers Given Publicity.
DR.. Parran's chief reason for call
ing the conference was to publicize
the dangers Of syphilis and gonor.
rhea, he told the throng of experts,
but he added that rising public in
terest nevertheless is outdistancing the
facilities for controlling the plaques.
The idea apparently is catching
on" he said, among American peo-
pie that syphilis is a disease which
can be controlled.
But many physicians are not pre-
pared to give adequate treatment. The
laboratory facilities of the country
need to be considered and improve.
ments made. We need more assist.
ance from public health departments.
We want this to be a working
rather than a talking conference.
There is vast difference in the needs
OF the 48 States, and there is a differ.
ence even within the States, but We
want to adopt set of general, under.
lying principles"
The duty of the city health depart.
ment In this fight is to educate the
public, find infectious cases and treat
patients, DR.. Walter Clarke, director
OF the Bureau Of Social Hygiene of the
New York City Department of Health,
said.
The chief problem facing the med
ical practitioner in gonorrhea, the
gathering was told by Dr. p. s. Pelouze,
associate in urology and assistant
genito-urinary surgeon at the Univer.
sity Of Pennsylvania School Of Med.
icine, is to enlighten the patient Of
his need for treatment.
Three Definite Groups.
The physician has to deal with
the pleasure-loving American youth.
which rather sharply divides itself
into three groups:
Those conscientious individuals
who deplore their plight and carry
out every medical instruction: those
who by nature are so shiftless that
they do as they please, and the larg-
est group composed of those who can
be encouraged to follow the Light if
some one takes the pains to show it to
them.
"The second group are active dis
ease spreaders and should be denied
human contacts until they are
cured; the third group is the real cam.
paign challenge"
DR.. r. A. Vonderlehr, assistant
surgeon general, this morning gave an
eight-point program for attacking
syphilis. His plan includes:
Full-time venereal disease control
officers in every State; free distribute
tion by States of anti-syphilitic drugs:
more general use Of the dark-field test
to detect early phases of syphilis;
more widespread use of epidemiologic
investigations to determine the source
OF infection; more reliable disease and
death reports: development of more
clinics and other facilities for treat.
ment; higher standards for State rec.
ognition Of venereal disease clinics,
and more liberal allotments Of public
money for control projects.
It was William F. Snow, general
director Of the American Social Hy-
giene Association, who estimated that
5000. 900 men, women and children in
this country are afflicted with syphilis
and about twice that number suffer
from gonorrhea. Most of the diseased
are between 16 and 80 years of age,
he said.
aside from the naturally appeal
ing reasons for stamping out syphilis,
such as the physical handicaps and
suffering, the emotional distress, eco
nomic burdens and the broken homes
to which it Is related. there is also
q staggering tax load which can be
traced to the disease" DR.. Snow said.
Thousands of its sufferers, their
personal funds exhausted and treat
nlents delayed until their hearts or
other organs are damaged. are In free
hospital wards or being cared for by
visiting nurses societies"
Paul de Kruif. Ph. D., of Holland,
Mich, author Of a number of best
selling books on medicine and disease.
is to speak this afternoon on Public
Education in the Control Of Syphilis"
Other first day speakers include DR..
Edward 8. Godfrey, New York State
commissioner Of health; DR.. Earle G.
Brown, secretary Of the Kansas State
Board Of Health: DR.. Walter Clarke,
director Of the Bureau Of Social Hy.
giene, New York City Health Depart.
ment; DR.. p. s. Pelouze. Or. John H.
Stokes, DR.. H. H. Hazen. professor Of
dermatology. Howard University, and
Homer Folks, executive secretary Of
the New York State Charities Aid A.
sociation.