Evening star., 1949-08-26
Consolidation
OF Health Tests
Urged for DC.
Toeeort Plan Asks
Continuing Drive to
! Detect All Diseases

A District Health Department
official today proposed that physi-
cal examinations conducted by
several agencies be merged to pro-
vide an overall checkup for vari-
Gus ailments and that COM
mittee be formed to carry out the
proposal.
DR.. S. Ross Taggart, head Of
the Bureau Of Venereal Disease
said that, instead of periodic
campaigns every few months by
health groups. there should be
one Continuing, unified dag
nostic screening for detection OF
several diseases"
He would include in the pro-
posed merger campaigns now car
ried on to aid in the detection of
such ailments as tuberculosis. ven-
ereal diseases and diabetes. An
examination for heart ailments
also would be given.
He emphasized that the Coop
Grafton of private health groups
In publicizing and operating the
mass examinations would be in
vited. He suggested the estab-
lishment of a central controlling
committe to coordinate cam
paigns that urge the public to be
examined for various ailments.
In many instances. he said doc
tors find that q person being ex-
amined for q particular disease
has another unrelated one.
?. VD Tests Show tuberculosis.
For instance. in the venereal
disease drive conducted last year
by the District Health Depart
nent. nearly per cent of those
examined were found to have
tuberculosis. This was discovered
through routine X-rays given
patients at Gallinger Hospital,
where the venereal disease rapid
treatment center is located.
During last years mass chest
X-ray examination for tuberculo-
sis, about 5000 of the more than
100000 persons X-rayed showed
indications of heart ailments.
They were referred to private
physicians, and no estimate is
available of how many actually
were found to have heart trouble
after further diagnosis. About
5000 X-rays showed indications
of tuberculosis during the cam
paign. conducted by the District
tuberculosis Association in con-
junction with the District Health
Department. and the United States
Public Health Service. -. !
DR.. Taggart said his proposed
examination, which meets with |
the approval of other Health De-
partment authorities, could be
done at one Of three clinics now
operated by the department.
His plan would work like this:
A patient would come to one
Of the clinics and have an X-ray.
blood pressure and other tests for
detection of heart ailments. The
X-ray also would be examined for
signs of tuberculosis. He would
have a urinalysis for diabetes and
a blood test for venereal disease.
Three Clinics Equipped. +
Equipment needed for such ex-
aminations, he said. is now at
the three clinics or health centers:
Polk, Seventh and P streets NV;
Southwest, First street and Della
ware avenue S.W.. and the skin
clinic at Freedman's Hospital.
Plans now call for the opening of
a heart clinic at the Southwest
center, probably next month.
In addition to the examination
and tests, DR.. Taggart would like
to give a shot of penicillin to each
person passing through the exam
nation line. He said one shot OF
penicillin is probably adequate to
cure most cases of venereal disease.
In many cases, he said, it is diff
cult to, follow up on persons found
to have venereal disease, and the
one shot would insure against an
infected person spreading the dis
ease to others if treatment could
not be continued.
The clinic staffs would have to
be increased to carry on the over
all examination, and money for
this purpose would come from
general health funds. he said.
DIR. Taggart summed up the pro-
posal this way: /
"Unification seems to be the by
word these days. Why not apply |
1t to medical examinations"