Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-10-09

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had not even requested the nee
essary funds.
! Last year the Government
spent more money for eradica-
ton of hoof and mouth disease
than for research on mental ILL
ness which afflicts some 9 mil
lion people.
1t spends three times as much
money on animal and plant dis
ease research as on cancer re-
search. Indeed, medical research
receives less than 5 cents of each
Federal research dollar.
Money Dispute Recalled
This year the Eisenhower adj
miniStration asked for $l27
million for the National Insti-
tutes of Health, including re-
search programs. This was
raised to $184 million by the
Congress over the strong oppo-
Sition of the administration. In
all four years of this admins
tration the Democratic leader
ship in Congress, aided by a
minority of Republicans, has
raised the inadequate sums pro-
posed by President Eisenhower.
A good example is the field
of mental health. The Demo-
cratic 84th Congress launched
a vigorous attack on mental ill
ness. Rejecting inadequate pro-
Iposals by the administration, it
voted to triple the size of the
lpsychiatric research program and
to double the program for
training desperately needed psy-
chiatriSts. 1t also greatly in
creased support for community
health clinics and other preven-
tive measures. Aware that men,
tai illness costs the Nation more
than billion dollars a year and
fills more than half of our hos
Ipital beds, the Congress also
contributed to a searching three
year non-Governmental study of
the entire human and economic
impact of mental illness.
The fundamental research
needs are for more qualified re-
searchers and more research ia
cilities. We must continue to
rely heavily on private philan-
thropy in this area. The splen-
did work of some of the great
foundations is well known, and
accounts for much of the prog
reSs we have made. But there
remain large needs which expe-
rience shows cannot be met by
existing means. There are few
Federal activities which so di-
Erectly promote the general well
+ fare of all the people.
Il. Aid to Medical Education
The United States needs more
doctors. We have fewer doctors
today, relative to our population,
than a century ago. In Febru-
airy, 1855, DR.. Howard Rusk,
chairman of the Health Re-
sources Advisory Committee, re-
ported to the President that I'VE
have a tight supply situation in
the three major health profess
sions-medicine, dentistry and
nursing" Responsible estimates
indicate that we need 5000 more
doctors right now. Because our
population is rising rapidly. the
need will become larger and more
critical in the years ahead.
There are two major reasons
for the growing shortages.
First, our medical schools are
oVercrowded and understaffed.
The National Fund for Medical
Education has estimated that the
Nations medical schools need
new buildings which will cost
from $3.50 million to $500 million.
and an additional income of SIS
million a year to meet present
Operating deficits. The financial
pinch restricts both the number
Iof students the medical schools
are able to admit and the amount
of research they are able to I'M
dertake.
Hill Plan Recalled
To help meet one of these
needs Senator Lister Hill pro-
posed in 1855 that the Federal
Government give $3.50 million
over a five-year period in match
ing grants to medical schools for
construction only. Although this
proposed legislation was sup
ported by the American Medical
Association and the deans of
most of our medical schools. it
was opposed by Secretary Hobby
on the familiar ground that it
required more study"
In 1856. an election year, the
administration at least recog-
Inized-at least in principle--the
crisis in medical education. This
year Congress appropriated 500
million for construction of labo-
Iratory research facilities. What
lis needed now is a larger APP
preparation for general medical
school construction.
The second reason for the doc
tor shortage is the high cost of
medical education. We must do
more than build new buildings:
we must enable promising young
men and women to enter them.
With the present high costs,
medical education is beyond the
financial reach Of many qualified
young people.
I therefore favor a Federal
loan and scholarship program
for medical education along the
lines indicated in the program
for education which l recently
presented.
If such a loan and scholarship
program is adopted, l would
hope that 1t would be admin
istered in such a manner as to
serve particularly the special
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