Evening star., 1938-03-04
EAYMEN CONTROL
OF HEALTH SCORED
Dr.. White Lays High Death
Toll of tuberculosis in
D. c, on Congress.


the health Of the District of Columbia
WAS sharply criticized last night by
Er. William c. White, prominent au-
tloority on the prevention of tubercu-
losis. who spoke in the weekly Public
Eealth Forum at Georgetown Unlver-
sity.
Washington's generally unsatlsfac-
tory health rating was attributed
largely by DR.. White to the neglect
and lack of proper understanding"
that these same laymen have in health
matters. Consequently, he said in
passing tribute to DR.. George c. Ruh-
land. "a very excellent health officer
and Health Department are struggling
in the District against great diff
culties"
DR. White is past president of the
tuberculosis Association of the Dis
trict and is chairman also of the Com
mittee on Medical Research of the
National tuberculosis Association.
He deplored the fact that the Dis
trict Health Department is ansWerable
to "a committee of laymen in Con-
CreSs' and blamed the lack of more
up-to-date health laws on this same
lavman control. With Washington's
death rate from tuberculosis still un-
desirably high. DR.. White reminded,
I'VE need rewritten law
But the laymen in Congress were not
alone in sharing the blame for the
excessive prevalence of tuberculosis in
the District The physicians OF
Washington report only about one
half of the cases under their care"
DR.. White declared. That is one of
the. reasons why Washington stands
30 low" tuberculosis is report
able" disease in every city. he re-
minded, and care should be taken in
tracing every case.
Discussing general methods of treat
ing tubercular patients, DR.. White said
IT Is mistaken theory that a cure
can only be found lin the mountains
Supports City Hospitals.
"One of the greatest mistakes In
our own recent campaign he said,
was the removal of the tuberculosis
Hospital in the city to the country at
its present site at Glenn Dale, Md.
For purposes of study of cases. he
said, New York City is now building
S3,000,000 tuberculosis hospital inside
the city limits.
Dr. White said there is no reason
except neglect for our excessively high
death rate in the District" With the
colored death rate from tuberculosis
HI irf, tIe Whit 10 h
depiored the fact that at Freedmen's
Hospital there is no opportunity for
medical students of Howard University
to study the disease in that hospital.
Medical science has made tremen-
dOus strides in the last so years. he
said, in lowering the national death
rate from tuberculosis from 500 per
100000 population 10 below 6. Yet
In spite of all improvements, the ratio
Of deaths to new cases, for some un-
explained reason, remains about the
same" he declared
Drs White said there was a need
for complete change in the mech
anism of care" for tubercular patients.
The disease should be brought earlier
to the attention of physicians he
suggested. with greater emphasis laid
upon it in medical schools.
tuberculosis is a socialized disease
today" he said. Being disease as
seciated with wages and with the
poorer classes, it becomes a matter for
definite public care"
Hits Group Health.
He criticized however. the 2l-dav
disqualification plan of Group Health
Associat ton, Inc. as not worth a
drop In the bucket for most of our
chronic diseases" Experience has
shown. he said, that two years of hos
pitalization is the average time for
recovery from tuberculosis.
DR.. White stressed the need for
general education and early diagnosis
and advocated X-ray examination of
all young people from high school
nge to college" From / year of age
70 5 years and from 18 years to 30
years are the age groups in which the
majority Of cases occur. he said. Be
tween and IS years there is practi-
eally no tuberculosis he claimed.
Next Thursday evening will be the
hnal session of the Georgetown Health
Forum. The subject, Your Doctor
Finds Work for Cardiac Patients" will
be discussed by DR.. James Esler, pro-
fessor of clinical cardiology at George
town. Members Of unemployment and
social service agencies are particularly
invited to this lecture by the univer-
sity. DR.. Esler will discuss the work
best suited for persons inflicted with
heart disease, the most common cause
OF death, and suggest ways for them
70 earn a livelihood.