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Show Despite Strain of War, Health Of Nation Is Remarkably Good Surgeon General Reports On Achievements, Outlines Plan for More Medical Care "TESPITE the strains of three -'--'years of wartime living and working, and on increasing shortage short-age of physicians, psychiatrists, nurses and hospital facilities, the physical and mental health of America's civilians shows no indication indi-cation of a serious decline, the Office Of-fice of War Information reports, on the basis of data furnished by the Public Health service, the War Manpower Man-power commission, the bureau of the census and the war and navy departments. Dr. Thomas Parran, surgeon general gen-eral of the Public Health service, sums up the current status of civilian civ-ilian health in the United States as follows: "At the present time there are no Indications that the war has had serious se-rious effects upon the health of the nation. We do know, however, that . our lines against disease are lightly light-ly held. Shortages of health and medical manpower, together with shifting of the population, leaves us vulnerable to a breakthrough on many fronts. A survey of the nation's health picture pic-ture disclosed the following favorable favor-able facts: The estimated national rate of deaths from all causes in 1944 was 10.6 per 1,000 population as compared com-pared with 10-9 in 1943. Infant mortality mor-tality also continued downward, at 39.2 per 1,000 live births, compared with 40.1 in 1943. Stillbirths dropped a few points ' too, Life expectancy of infants is now about 65 years. The campaign against venereal disease has become increasingly effective. ef-fective. During the last 18 months, penicillin has cured 96 per cent of the gonorrhea cases in which it was used. Some cases of infectious syphillis yielded to penicillin also. Fear that returning veterans from the Pacific islands would bring back new diseases has largely large-ly been dispelled. Such ailments as filariasis constitute no real threat to civilian health, army and navy doctors declare. The Debit Side. On the debit side of the nation's health balance sheet are these facts: First, an increasingly serious shortage short-age of doctors, dentists, psychiatrists psychi-atrists and nurses. This situation will probably not be relieved until both Germany and Japan have been defeated. Lack of psychiatrists is especially espe-cially serious, in view of the number num-ber of veterans who will be suffering suffer-ing from the shock of war experiences expe-riences in the years to come. Many civilians too have become at least temporarily deranged by strain and worry. It has long been known that approximately two-thirds of the illness ill-ness encountered in general medi- i cal practice is essentially neuropsychiatry neuro-psychiatry in origin, and that half of the patients in hospitals at any one time are there because of serious seri-ous mental disorders. Indeed, it may be safely predicted that in any group of 15-ycar-olds, 1 out of every 22 will some day be committed to a mental institution. Poliomyelitis (infantile paralysis) and meningococcus meningitis (cerebro-spinal fever) reached epidemic epi-demic proportions in the United States during 1914. The poliomyelitis, poliomyeli-tis, epidemic in 1914 was the largest in the United States since 191C. There was a total of 19.2G8 reported cases. A total of 16,059 cases of meningococcus meningitis occurred in 1944, as compared with 19,974 cases in 1943, which was the highest recorded figure. Reports from a group of selected industries indicate increased absences ab-sences of workers due to sickness. Respiratory diseases accounted for most of the absenteeism. The male frequency rate of illness (138.1 per 1,000 workers for 1943) was the highest recorded annual rate for the last 10 years. The female rate of illness (204.1 per 1,000) was likewise like-wise the highest recorded, rate since 1934. Lack of adequate sanitary installations instal-lations continues in many communities. com-munities. Sanitation in many rural parts of the country remains at a low level. About 40 per cent of the counties in the United States still lack full-time local public health service. Postwar nealth Plans. Dr. Parrau has advocated a postwar post-war program to insure adequate health services for every person in the United States. Important features fea-tures of the program follow: (1) Financing costs of medical care through taxation, health Insurance, Insur-ance, or both. (2) Construction and equitable distribution dis-tribution of hospitals and health centers In adequate numbers throughout the country. (3) Expansion of professional education to ensure an adequate supply of health and medical personnel. per-sonnel. (4) Providing full-time health departments de-partments throughout the country, plus addition of such services as pnblic health nursing, children's dentistry, mental hygiene and nutrition. nutri-tion. (5) ' Continued support of public and private research in the medical sciences. (6) Improvement of present deficiencies defi-ciencies in the nation's sanitary facilities through construction of public water supplies, sewerage systems sys-tems and milk pasteurization plants. In the first 10 years after the war there wil be a need for 166,000 new beds in general hospitals, 191.000 beds for mental hospitals and 60,-000 60,-000 beds for tuberculosis institutions, institu-tions, Dr. Parran believes. These would entail an expenditure of almost al-most $2,000,000,000. There will be a particularly urgent need in rural areas for the construction of small, well-equipped hospitals and health centers. With modern transportation, patients pa-tients from rural hospitals could be sent when necessary to larger district hospitals, fully equipped to render all kinds of service. The base hospitals, in turn, would circulate circu-late new medical knowledge and skills to every institution it serves. In the base hospital would be medical medi-cal and nursing schools, specialists in all branches of medicine, and research projects designed to find new and better methods of diagnosis and treatment. Public health nursing, clinics for infants and expectant mothers, diagnosis diag-nosis and treatment of venereal disease dis-ease patients would be made fully available throughout the country. In addition, bedside nursing particularly par-ticularly in rural areas. tuberculosis tubercu-losis programs, dental clinics for children, nutrition services and mental men-tal hygiene programs should be included. in-cluded. Dr. Parran said. . Every state should provide industrial indus-trial hygiene service, and within states each major industrial area should have a regional industrial hygiene unit, instead of relying, as at present, on industrial hygiene programs that operate for the most part on federal funds and with inadequate in-adequate staff. " Increased government funds for research would be made available to scientific institutions as part of flie postwar national health program. pro-gram. Future progress in national health, Dr. Parran pointed out, depends de-pends heavily upon the discovery of better methods to cure diseases such as cancer, heart disease and arthritis. A preventive for the common com-mon cold would save more than 30,-000,000 30,-000,000 days now lost annually by the nation's industrial workers, officials said. |
