Evening star., 1947-02-20

work is also being aided by the award
of increasing numbers of traineeships,
through which physicians obtain clinical
training in the diagnosis and treatment
of cancer at hospitals throughout the
country.
Research at the National Cancer In
stitute has been accelerated by the re-
lease of scientists from war work, and
many promising projects are being ap-
proved for research grants to private
individuals and institutions. Among
Public Health Service Investigations are
a series of cooperative studies in radio
biology The findings of animal expert
ments have been useful in formulating
basic standards for the protection of
human beings against known cancer
producing irradiations.
New Discoveries in Medicine.
There has been a similar expansion
in other types of research conducted or
supported by the Public Health Service.
At the National Institute of Health,
the wartime program of testing anti
malarial drugs has been continued and
among the 1872 tested experimentally
during the year, some were found to be
from 80 to 1913 times as active as quinine.
In the work on experimental tubercu-
losis, it was found that an antibiotic
and sulfone were three times as effec-
tive when given together as when given
separately New compounds, synthe-
sized for use against experimental tuber
culosis and influenza virus, have shown
high activity and low toxicity in animals.
Evaluations of the sulfonamides in the
treatment of dysentery were completed,
Clinical studies on ringWorm of the
scalp have developed more effective
treatments, and have shown that chill
dren need not DO segregated or taken
out of school to control outbreaks OF
this disease.
A new narcotic drug developed at the
Institute has prolonged action and
may prove valuable as substitute for
morphine Among other drugs being
tested in a cooperative program are
several developed in Germany and pre-
viously unknown in this country.
A recently developed mumps vaccine
has shown promise in early studies with
human subjects A standard control
virus for testing rabies vaccine has been
developed, and tentative test has been
devised for whooping cough vaccine. AS
a result of improvements in the pro-
duction of amebiasis antigen for the
complement Taxation test, CONNER
cial antigen has been placed on the
market.
Renewed attention is being devoted
to the diseases of old age, such as i'm
paired kidney function. Significant
findings have been made in the study
of experimental shock. Other import
ant studies are concerned with @ fever,
tropical diseases, homologous serum
jaundice, nutrition, the production and
standardization OF biologic products,
and other subjects.
Increasing use is being made of dem
onstrations in various fields of public
health. Early results from one such
project have indicated that the occur
renee of dental carries can be reduced
by more than one third by the
application of fuorides to the surface
of the teeth. New demonstrations in
clude a dental care program for school
children, one for the study and detection
of malnutrition, one to develop methods
for the early diagnosis of heart disease
on a mass survey basis and one for the
control of some 40 animal diseases
transmissible to man. A demonstration
of the early diagnosis and control OF
diabetes mellitum is being planned.
The Remaining Frontiers.
We look forward to the coming year
with assurance that it will prove to be
a period of substantial progress in the
field of public health. There is ample
evidence that our States and COM
munities are alert to the opportunities
tor progress, and anxious to expand
their public health activities; funds and
personnel should become increasingly
available for this purpose as the transi-
ton from war to peace Is completed.
Two broad frontiers of public health
remain. One of these is the area OF
chronic diseases. Conditions such as
heart disease, cancer and diabetes have
moved to the fore as causes of death.
We are today intensifying our efforts
to combat them.
The second frontier is the extension
of necessary health services to all of
our citizens. Today there are not nearly
enough physicians, dentists, nurses and
other health personnel to go around,
nor enough hospital beds and clinics
to take care of our minimum needs.
Those we have are unevenly distributed,
so that many areas have no doctors and
no health facilities of any kind. And
finally we have yet to solve the eco
nomic problems of medical care; we
have yet to make it possible for every
one, regardless of income, to obtain
the basic services needed for the pro-
lection of his own health and that of
his neighbors. These are our basic OBJ
iectives for the future. We approach
them with confidence, knowing that
the American people are united in de-
msnding better health conditions as
basic human right.
(The above article is a condensa-
ticn of Surgeon General Parran's
foreword to the annual report of the
Public Health Service)