Evening star., 1951-06-23
President Challenges
Foes Of Health Plan
To Offer Their Own

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President Truman yesterday in
vited opponents of his compulsory
national health insurance pro-
gram to suggest an alternate plan
that would enable all Americans
to pay for the medical care they
need.
He opened the door to COM
promise on the controversial issue
by offering to indorse any plan
that would accomplish that OBJ
jective.
He spoke before 5000 specta-
tors at cornerstone-laying cere-
monies of the new $40 million
clinical center at the National In
stitutes of Health, Bethesda.
Departs From Text.
Mr.. Truman departed from
his text when he added the
words "and the rich," to his state
ment that medical care is for the
people and not just for the doctors
and the rich"
The Presidents renewal of his
fight to obtain a national health
insurance program came a week
after the American Medical As
sociation, leaders of a bitter and
costly fight against the proposal,
decided to curtail it's campaign
because the fight had been won. at
least temporarily, and the threat
of what the doctors called Social
iZation" ended.
AS the President finished his
speech, rain started to fall lightly.
He turned back to the crowd,
many of whom had brought UNI
brellas, and said:
Go ahead and put up your
umbrellas. I'm a Baptist myself,
and don't like to be sprinkled
either"
Cornerstone Placed.
After the cornerstone of the
500-bed hospital and research
center had been lowered into place, |
some mortar oozed out between
the cornerstone and one below it.
The President took the silver
trowel with which he had spread
the mortar and smoothly wiped
1t away.
A few minutes after the cere-
mony, a steady shower began.
The President was introduced |
by Oscar Ewing, Federal Security
Administrator, who said that,
within the center, man and
women of science . will devote
their lives and talents to some of
the greatest medical research pro-
jects ever initiated in mankind's S |
endless quest for the causes and
cures of disease"
AS the President, nattily attired
in gray, strode onto the platform
from his car, he shook hands
with the Rev. Frederick Brown
Harris, chaplain of the Senate;
Mr.. Ewing, DR.. w. H. Sebrell, jr.,
director of the National Institutes
of Health, and DR.. Leonard A.
Scheele, Surgeon General of the
Public Health Service, all of whom
had earlier taken part in the
program.
Waves to Band Leader.
After a march by the Marine
band, the President waved toI
Mai. William F. Santelmann,
leader of the band.
Before and after the corner
stone-laying ceremony, the seven
research units making up the Ma
tional Institutes of Health were
open to public inspection, and staff .
scientists and technicians were on
hand to explain their research
projects.
The clinical center, which will
be completed late next year and
will receive its first patients in
January, 1858, will allow scien-
fists at the Institutes to add
clinical research activity to their
basic research projects. Selected
patients from all over the country
will be invited to the ultra modern
center for free care while scien-
lists study their diseases.
Devoted to Service of Mankind.
A partial text of the Presidents
address follows:
We are here today to lay the
cornerstone of a building which
will be devoted to the service of
y,nonLiVoI
AS people, we have constantly
sought better health and longer
lives for our citizens. We have
done SO not merely because human
strength and human intelligence
are great national assets. Far
more important, we believe that
there is something sacred about
every human soul that God has
put on this earth.
We believe in the rights of the
individual. We acknowledge his
supremacy over the state. That
Is the great mark of distinction
between our democracy and the
totalitarian relationships. >.
This clinical research center
will advance the work that rs
being done by all of us to achieve
better health.
Cites Former Scourges.
At the turn of the century the
average American could expect to
live only 49 years. The two big
gest killers, pneumonia and tuber-
culosis, eXacted a frightful toll.
Diphtheria and typhoid ran wild.
We were losing 130 of every thou
sand babies before they were a
year old. Our maternal death
rate was very high-more than six
mothers died in childbirth for
every thousand babies born.
Today, many of these scourgeS
LOST.
BILLFOLD, green, personal and valuable
papers; vic. downtown, 18th and N. Y.
ave NV SH 1890 pa