Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-10
Public Health Service
Is Facing Challenge
6efen5e Crisis
Concentration Of Great
Groups Of Humans Is
IdeoI for Epidemics
(Fitth OF a SerieS.)
By THOMAS r. HENRY.

Parran, the threatened emergency
offers the creates tchallenge and the
greatest opportunity OF its $50 years.
If war comes according to the
European pattern, it will be total
war" The physical and mental
efficiency Of every American will be
a factor in eventual success or fall
ure. 1t is not alone the health of
soldiers and sailors, adequately cared
for by the Army and Navy medical
services. that will be military as
set but the health of every factory
worker, every farmer, every house
wife and every school child.
There is reason to BELIEVE that
with reasonable good fortune the
whole American people may come
out of the emergency healthier,
stronger and with longer average
span of life than when they enter
It. Surg. Gen. Parran's organiZa-
ton is the Nations doctor"
Chart of Country's Health.
It maintains one of the greatest
medical research organizations in
the world. 1t co-ordinateS the ac-
tivities of 10000 private doctors.
It keeps a chart of the country S
health. 1t guards the borders
against the invisible viruses OF death.
The physician treats an individual
stricken with smallpox or typhoid.
The Public Health Service treats a
stricken community.
Today this civilian medical serv-
Ice probably stands at the peak OF
its efficiency. Ever since war clouds
began TO gather in Europe Surg.
Gen. Parran has been getting ready
for the possible emergency, and
throughout the year he has been
one of the most outspoken advo-
Gates of a total national defense.
One of the vital jobs of the Pub
lie Health Service will be to insure
sanitary zones around cantonments.
It is highly probable that each Of
these will be in the neighborhood
of a fair-SiZed city. where it can
take advantage of an already eX-
listing water system and source OF
electric power. Soldiers cannot be
Theoretically sealed up inside camp
walls. They are bound TO mingle
with the local population. patronize
local restaurants and drug stores,
attend local churches and theaters,
ride on local streetcars and buses.
Depend on Local Authorities.
This is always a source Of worry
to the military authorities. Out
side a camp their own powers are
debatable. To large extent they
must depend on local health au-
thorities and police to see that
restaurant food is not cooked or
served by typhoid or diphtheria car
riers. that drug stores serve drinks
in clean glasses. that appropriate
attention is given to the venereal
problem. City and State health Of
dcers find their work doubled and
tripled with the enormous increases
of population. They lack the funds
and personnel for proper inspection
or enforcement of regulations. In
some cases the area around camp
covers three or four separate juris-
among them.
The Federal Public Health Service
acts as co-ordinating agency. 1t
advises with the local authorities.
with all of whom it has co-opera-
tive arrangement of long standing.
It supplies trained personnel where
necessary. 1t takes over entire areas
where more than one State is in
Volved This function has become
more clearly defined with meeting
here a few weeks ago of all the
State health officers. 1t also ad-
vlses with the Army on the location
Of camp sites.
Its job is to protect the health Of
civilians from the soldiers and
even more important-to protect
the soldiers from the civilians. A
single diphtheria or typhoid carrier
in one of the 1y-by-night hot dog
stands that Invariably spring up in
the neighborhood of a cantonment
might be more serious than the loss
of battle. An outbreak of menln-
gifts could easily be more devastat-
ing than the worst aid raid.
Work With Industrial Mobilization.
The most immediate concern OF
DR.. Parran's organization is with
the industrial mobilization. They
are called upon to put into practice
io11 tho form
Of medical science-industrlal medl-
cine Small factories. built with
sanitary facilities for few hundred
workers. are expanding to take care
of several thousands. Many of these
are located in small cities, where a
large and sudden increase in popu-
alton is almost certain to overtaX
the local health authorities. There
are possibilities of epidemics that
will bring to a complete standstill
vital war activities. The service
stands ready to send experts into
these communities whenever called
upon to organize the local services
end make appropriate studies OF
what is needed.
It is essential that the industrial
workers remain at the peak of eff
fcienCy. With the speeding up OF
the work and the concentration of
inexperienced men industrial dis
eases, at present unknown, are very
likely to make their appearance.
Close contact with various chemi-
calls may have strange physiological
effects. One of the jobs of the serv-
Ice will be to determine the causes
of these as soon as they appear-a
task for which it is particularly
fitted through its industrial hygiene
laboratory and its trained research
personnel.
A time of large concentrations of
men is also time when epidemics
are likely to appear. Still fresh in
the memory is the terrible influenza
epidemic of 1918 Viruses of many
diseases increase in potency from
victim to victim. Conditions are
ideal for them to attain explosive
violence when great bodies of SOL
diers are living in the close quar-