Evening star., 1938-07-19
MEDICAL DISPUTE
PEACE IS URGED
Moves to Close Breach of
A. M. A. and Government
Made at Convention.

Conciliatory overtures to heal the
widening breach between the Amer
ican Medical Association and the Fed
eral Government marked the opening
today of the National Health Confer
ence at the Mayflower Hotel, although
the doctors retracted nothing and did
not recede from their position that
any great new program to improve the
national health should be under med
ical control"
The overtures consisted of friendly
remarks of cooperation" delivered by
DR.. E. L. Bishop. medical director of
the Tennessee Valley Authority and
executive secretary of the Presidents
Interdepartmental Committee to Co.
ordinate Health and Welfare Activ-
tiles, who called the conference to
order; DR.. Irwin Abel, president of the
American Medical Association, and
Miss Josephine Roche. chairman of
the Interdepartmental Committee.
With the somewhat qualified dove
OF peace carrying some strings at
tached to it f1guratively nuttering
over the distinguished gathering, doc
tors, Government administrators, So
cial workers. welfare leaders and
others, the conference got down to the
business of serious consideration of the
5-point program presented by the So
called Technical Committee on Medi-
cal Care.
Controversy Quiets Down.
The atmosphere was somewhat
cleared of the bitterness and awkward
silences which had characterized the
afternoon sessions yesterday, follow
ing the spectacular clash between
two members of the medical profess
sion, DR.. Hugh Cabot of the Mayo
Clinic, Rochester Mimi. an outstand-
ing rebel in the A. M. A., and DR..
Olin West, secretary and general man.
ager of the association.
DR.. Bishop extended the first olive
branch at the outset today. Speak
ing for the Government, he declared
the program today with its recon-
mendations represents expressions of
the best technical judgment of tech
nical group relative to the size OF the
job which is ahead of us and some
suggestions as to approaches to the
solution of ways and means in meet
ing the requirements of that job"
Explaining that it was not the pur-
pose of the Governments committee
to present final conclusions nor final
recommendations" OH the details of
which there might be disagreement.
DR.. Bishop said, Il think we can agree
that there is job to be done. ," /"
We need to participate jointly and
amicably in the discussions of the
ways and means of solving the ap-
proaches in achieving the purpose of
that Job.
Il assume that every participant in
these deliberations comes in a spirit
of cooperation and constructive serv-
ice; not in spirit of controversy and
disagreement, that is, certainly from
emotional disagreement"
DR.. Bishop then read extracts from
Miss Roche's speech opening the con-
ference yesterday in which she paid
tribute to the medical profession and
called for cooperation.
No Retraction Offered.
President Abel Of the A. M. A. in
a very brief but carefully guarded
statement from the platform re-
sponded, but, in this response, it was
understood he did not retract the
speech he made yesterday in which he
criticized President Roosevelt's general
proposals and insisted on medical
control" of any health program.
1.-THE officials of the American Med
ical Association come to this meeting
at the express instructions of its House
of Delegates. We come not imbued
with q controversial spirit, but with
a determination to give to this con-
ference our best thought, our expert
ence and the information which has
been accumulated in our bureaus
through the years that have passed
since the organization Of the Amer
ican Medical Association.
THE heads of our technical de-
partments are here, carrying with
them the information which we have
in our files and which we gladly place
at the disposal Of this conference. You
may rest assured that in any of the
efforts which you make for better
ment in the health care Of the people
of this country, you have or whole
hearted cooperation. We shall be
fEnN. A M pAAe AN