Evening star., 1945-04-12
tuberculosis
Aide0pposed
ByD. Officials
DR.. Coulter Stages
Lone Fight for Plan
At House Heurinq

DR.. A. Barklie Coulter, chief OF
the tuberculosis Bureau of the
Health Department, today waged a
lone and apparently unsuccessful
fight for approval Of 9 bill which
would create a $7,200-a-year posi-
ton of assistant health officer to
have immediate charge of the Dis
trict's tuberculosis-control program.
Members of the Health Subcom-
mittee of the House District Com
mittee, considering the bill offered
by Representative Mcmillan, Demo-
crat, OF South Carolina seemed i'm
pressed with opposition arguments
that better control programs could
be achieved by administrative action
without creating the new post.
Among those opposing the bill
were Commissioner Guy Mason,
Health Officer George C. Ruhland.
DR.. Daniel Leo Finucane, supfrin-
tendent OF the District tuberculosis
Sanatorium, and DR.. William
Charles White. private physician.
Like Daniel in Den.
Only DR.. Coulter responded when
Representative Smith, Democrat, of
Virginia, conducting the hearing,
called for those appearing to support
the measure. AS he finished testi-
flying, Dr. Coulter said, Il feel like
Daniel in the lions den," being the
only one favoring the bill.
While DR.. Coulter criticized fail
ures of the District to give adequate
disqualification to all cases of tuber-
culoSis, committee members were
impressed by declarations by Mr..
Mason, Dr. Rutland and others that
this was due primarily to war-in-
duced shortage in help and inability
to build additional hospital faciI-
| ties now.
| Commissioner Mason emphasized
that the District had vainly sought
funds from the Federal Works
Agency and priorities from the WPB
for construction at the Glenn Dale
| Md Sanatorium of a 400-bed ad-
dition and housing for an enlarged
staff
To Ask for Funds.
District appropriations for these
purposes will be requested as soon
as the war permits, Mr.. Mason
added. Members of the District
Subcommittee of the House Appro-
priations Committee, he said, are
heartily in accord" with these pro-
posals.
Under questioning by Mr. Smith,
DR.. Finucane. Mr.. Mason and DR..
Rutland asserted that 140 beds at
the Glenn Dale Sanatorium had
been closed last year only because
of inability to find enough nurses,
physicians and other workers.
These beds will be restored to use
at once when help is available,
they said.
Representative Hebert, Democrat,
Of Louisiana repeatedly asked DR..
Coulter what advantages would be
gained by passage of the bill putting
tuberculosis control in the hands Of
a single responsible individual"
when that official still would be
subject to control by the health off,
Ger and Commissioners. Dr. Coulter
said he agreed the health officer
should have a power of veto" over.
the proposals of the suggested new
assistant health officer.
/ Rate Above Average.
4 DR. Coulter attempted to show It
should reduce delays in action he
contended now occur, but Mr.. Hebert
commented: I'm all confused"
DR.. Coulter reported that the Dis
trlct tuberculosis death rate is ap-
proximately 66 per 100000 popula-
ton, as against national average
of about A per 10o,000-or so per
cent higher.
Mr. Smith asked DR.. Ruhland if
this was accurate and he said it was,
but he declared there had been
steady progress year by year here in
reducing the mortality rate. Fur
thermore, he explained that the Dis
trict rate is far better than that Of
many large cities and protested that
a handicap to further progress was
the wartime lack of decent housing
for the poorer population, the Short
age of nurses and physicians and
the lack of adequate hospital beds.
The health officer submitted fig
ures to show that the white mortal
| ity rate here has been reduced from
433 to 366 in the past 10 years, and
the colored from 259 to 148 per
100000 population.