Evening star., 1945-09-14
Rutland Backs
Disease Control
Program. Here
Officer Discounts Fear
Of Great Increase
In VenereoI Incidence
BY DON S. WARREN.

shSbASbSS
BY DON S. WARREN.
Health Officer George c. Ruhland
today defended the Health Depart
ment program for control of COM
municable diseases and urged adop-
tion of pending legislation to
control measures. -.
Testifying before the Health SUBJ
committee of the House District
Committee, he discounted fears ex-
pressed IN some quarters that there
would be great increase in venereal
diseases here after rehabilitation of
the armed services.
i do not believe we are going to
be swamped with the pestilence of
Venereal diseases" he declared, land
We have facilities which may be
used In casting out the devil when
he appears
Health Service Approves.
General support for the proposed
new communicable disease act and
the program and performance of
the Health Department was given by
Capt. John r. Heller, assistant
surgeon general of the United States
PUBLIC Health Service, in charge of
It's Venereal disease program.
Capt. Heller told the subcommit-
tee, which is headed by Representa-
tive Mcmillan, Democrat, of South
Carolina, the performance of the
Health Department in regard to
venereal diseases has been good,
IN comparison with other cities.
He said the District program gen.
orally follows the pattern outlined
by the Public Health Services. In
some phases of case finding and
running down" reported contacts,
he said the District record is not
quite as good as in other places, but
that in other respects the work here
Is better than that of the United
States as whole.
Infant Mortality Drops.
Capt. Heller brought out there
had been an excellent" decrease in
infant mortality from syphilis.
The Public Health spokesman also
reported that the District is spend-
ing 26 cents per capita per year on
its venereal disease program, j
compared with 3 cents per capita
Tor the Nation as whole.
Chairman Randolph of the. Dis
trict Committee, however. empha-
sized that the comparison should be
made with the amount of money
spent by other large cities and
asked Capt. Heller to supply this
data.
DiSagrees on Incidence.
DR.. H. H. Hazen of the District
Social Hygiene Society, who serves
as Health Department consultant,
credited the Health Department
with numerous accomplishments"
and very considerable improve
ments" in recent years in its vene-
real disease program.
But he disagreed sharply with DIR.
Ruhland as to the future incidence
OF the disease. He said he anti
cipated "a small epidemic" after
demobilization. warning that the
District must prepare to meet it.
On this point, DR.. Rutland said
he believed Army and Navy Off
clalS would continue their policy Of
not permitting the discharge of serv-
icemen who have known cases of in
lection. He added that there also
was liaison system whereby such
men on their discharge will be re-
ferred to local health authorities
for. examination and treatment
where necessary.
Report Shows Decline.
DR.. James G. Cumming, head of
the preventable disease division of
the Health Department, submitted
reports showing a decline in the
number of reported cases of ve-
nereal disease for the first six
months of this year as compared
with the same period in 1944-a de-
cline from 6,766 to 5,430,
A breakdown of these figures
showed the number of reported
cases of syphilis for the first half
OF last year was 4,191 as against
1,817 in the first half of this wear.
but the number of reported cases
OF gonorrhea increased at the same
time from 2,348 to 3,181.
Furthermore, the report showed
that while the total number of re-
ported cases of venereal disease in
creased from 1906 for the whole
year, l943, to 12,023 for last wear.
this total still was considerably be-
low the records for the years l941
and 1912.
DR.. Rutland denounced "errone-
Gus and distorted reports" which
ne said contained most contempt-
lble publicity" on the venereal dis
sease situation.
The health officer said he did not
mind the anonymous and abusive
telephone calls" he had been re-
ceiving, saying that a public off,
c1al must expect, on occasions, "to
be made the whipping boy" But
he told the committee he was con.
cerned over the effect of such re-
ports because they might dissuade
some infected persons from going
to the Health Department clinics
or hospital facilities for necessary
treatment.
Deltu Theto Alumni to Meet