Evening star., 1939-07-11
U.S.. Health Program
Is Predicted by
Taft for 1910
Senator Speaker at
Doctors Hospital
Cornerstone Rite


tific advance made by the medical
profession, Senator Robert A. Taft,
Republican, of Ohio today told a
distinguished audience at corner
stone laying ceremonies for the new
Doctors Hospital, 1885 I street NV.
that the pending Wagner bill for a
national health program should be
amended with the assistance and
cooperation" of the doctors them
selves to remove the suspicion" of
"State-controlled medical care"
The Wagner bill, he predicted, was
not likely to be pressed at this ses-
sion of Congress. But" he added,
II believe that in 1910, a Federal
medical program of some kind will
be adopted. What form it will take
depends largely on the medical pro-
fession. I am most hopeful that the
doctors determine what comprehen-
sive program can be adopted to i'm
prove the health of the American
people and that they propose a prac-
tical measure to assist that pro-
gram"
Praised Project.
The Doctors Hospital project was
praised highly by the Ohio Senator,
who has been prominently men,
toned as a potential presidential
candidate next year. Explaining
that the hospital was a privately
financed project without Govern
ment aid, the Senator said:
Il enjoy the opportunity of prais-
ing the initiative of the medical
profession of the District in work.
ing out its own problems without ly-
ing down on the Government"
The cornerstone was laid by DR..
Charles Stanley White, president of
Doctors Hospital, Inc.
Participating in the ceremonies
were officers of the institution and
a distinguished invited company of
members of the medical, dental,
nursing and allied professions. A
public address system was set up
to amplify voices of the speakers
and Radio Station WMAL scheduled
a broadcast of the program. Sta
tlon WJSV planned a rebroadcast
at 1890 pm. tonight with a re-
corded transcription of the cere-
monies.
Introduced by DIR. White.
DR.. White in a brief introduction
OF Senator Taft characterized him
as gentleman who is and will be
for many years active in the affairs
of our Government"
DR.. White explained that those
who have undertaken the erection
of the hospital were motivated by
desire to furnish the citizens of
Washington the very best hospital
accommodations and service and at
the same time offer the most mod
ern surroundings in which the doc
tors could work"
1T is appropriate to mention" !"
continued DR.. White, that neither
the public, the municipality nor
the Federal Government has been
asked to contribute funds for its
construction. In this day and age
this is worthy of more than pass
Ing notice"
DR.. Oscar B. Hunter, secretary of
the hospital, explained to the audi
ence the contents of a copper con-
tainer which was placed in the cor
nerstone. This included a sample
OF all metallic coins now in circula-
ton, prospectus of the hospital, a
bible. DR.. Whites speech at the
ground-breaking exercises last Jan.
uary, several medical publications.
documents Of the hospital corpora
ton itself and copies of the WASH
lngton newspapers and the Alex
andria Gazette.
Others Present at Ceremony.
Also present at the ceremonies
were these other officers of the hos
pltal: DR.. Edward L. Morrison. vice
president; DR.. Charles w. HYDE
treasurer, and these other members
OF the Board of Directors, DR.. Alan
j. Chenery, DR.. Richard K. Thomp-
son, DR.. James Alexander Lyon. DR..
Fred A. Moss, DR.. R. Lyman Sexton
and DR.. William M. Sprigg.
Among the DISTINGUISHED guests
were DR.. George c. Rutland, District
health officer; DR.. Lewis Taylor,
president of Sibley Hospital; DR.,
Inomas Parran, surgeon general of
the United States Public Health
Service; DR.. William C. Woodward
former health officer of the District
ana now director of the Bureau of
Legal Medicine and Legislation of
the American Medical Association.
DR.. Francis Eisemann, superin-
tendent of Garfield Hospital; B. B.
Sandidge, superintendent of En-
ergency Hospital, and Janet Fish.
superintendent of nurses at En-
ergency Hospital.
In praise of the medical profess
sion, Senator Taft said:
There is hardly a field in which
there has been more sensational and
continuous improvement than that
OF medicine in the United States.
That improvement has been due to
the brilliant, unselfsh and indus
trious work of thousands of physi-
clans. 1t is not their fault that in
comes are unequally distributed, and
that efforts by local government to
cover the entire field of health have
been restricted by lack of resources.
But now I hope they will take an
active interest in seeing that the
unequaled medical service received
by most Americans is extended
to the entire population. Their
own interest and participation in
the program will make it certain
that it is not dominated by half
baked theorists, or by those who
believe in a totalitarian state, dl-
recting the lives and caring for the
health of all it's citizens through
the mechanical and usually careless
action of Government bureaus.
Il believe a Federal-aid program
can be worked out. I believe it can
be much simpler and much more
economical, and much more likely
to preserve the essential independ-
ence of the doctors than the pres
ent Wagner bill I believe it can be
worked out with the assistance and
m