Public Health Service Code. Hearing Before a Subcommittee ... H.R. 3379 ... March 1-14, 1944

on the same subject matter. I feel that the committee is due a debt of gratitude for devoting its time and attention in considering his bill, which would rectify in some hundred pages the errors which have accumulated in the last century and a half.

I understand that during the course of your hearings on this bill, many improvements have been suggested by witnesses who have ap-peared before your committee. I know that very great improvements have been made on the existing law during the several months since I have been no longer connected with the Federal Security Agency, as suggestions have come in from various sources. Before and since that time there have been very careful study made by Dr. Parran, Dr. Thompson, Dr. Draper, Dr. Stewart and others of the Public Health Service staff and of Miss Mary Switzer, and Mr. Willcox of the Federal Security Agency; Mr. Perley, of the House Legislative Counsel's office, as well as Lieutenant Drexler of the Coast Guard. No doubt that with the further review and improvements which your committee will make, there will be a resulting Public Health Service Code in which we may all take justifiable pride.

I do not have any suggestions to your committee which I believe would be of value with respect to making changes in the proposed legislation; but before concluding, I should like to mention briefly something about the procedure which was followed in attempting the codification.

From the indexes of the United States Code, Annotated, the Revised Statutes and the Statutes at Large, an effort was made to find all of the existing provisions of law relating to the Public Health Service. All of these provisions found in the Revised Statutes and in the Statutes at Large were photostated. As I remember, the result was some four or five hundred pages of photostats. The next step was to classify these various provisions by subject matter. A very tentative draft was made as to what we considered to be existing law in each of the divisions of subject matter.

The Surgeon General then arranged for a series of conferences which extended over a period of weeks and the various subjects of the proposed bill were discussed by the members of his staff most familiar with the particular subject matter. The Surgeon General and Dr. Thompson, Dr. Draper, or Dr. Stewart were present at all of these conferences, and consequently, they were integrated and a consistent over-all approach was made as to the proposed codification.

As you have no doubt been previously advised, by witnesses and by your own review of the proposed code, there are in some instances a conscious departure from existing statutory provisions, though in most cases the changes in statutory language which were made were made for purposes of clarification and of reaching the consistency with other provisions in the code. It was felt that, to the extent possible, Congress should specifically review and validate some of the more important regulations which had been issued by the Public Health Service pursuant to broad grants of statutory authority and where the Congress deemed it advisable that these should be modified. Accordingly you will find in the code a statutory provision of what has heretofore been only in regulations.

In conclusion, since I am speaking in an entirely unofficial capacity, I should like to pay a special tribute to the patient work of the committee, and to Dr. Parran and to members of the staff of the Public

Health Service, and to the people in the Public Health Service in the States, all of whom have given so much care and thought to the preparation of this code. Especially, Mr. Chairman, I should like to express appreciation to you in suggesting the code and for the extended and helpful advice you have given as to its preparation. I know I am joined in this by Mr. Perley, Mr. Willcox, and the others who have participated.

Mr. BULWINKLE. Who are those ladies down there who helped with it?

Lieutenant CALHOUN. I think Mrs. Willcox should have particular tribute paid to her and there have been very helpful comments made by some of the administrative people in the Federal Security Agency and in other agencies, not directly connected with the Public Health Service.

It is my hope and belief that this code will be enacted. It would be a landmark in the legislative history of the Public Health Service and it would certainly prove a most useful guide in future legislation, because it would fix in one place in existing law, in an orderly manner, and permit an orderly modification of that existing law with the precision which has not been heretofore possible, and most important it will provide a degree of certainty which has heretofore been seriously lacking in many important details.

Accordingly, the work which this committee has been doing and is still doing, I believe will be of lasting importance and significance. Mr. BULWINKLE. Any questions?

Mr. REECE. How long were you with the Federal Security Agency? Lieutenant CALHOUN. I was with the Federal Security Agency, sir, since the time it was formed. Prior to that I was with the Social Security Board, but it was integrated in the Federal Security Agency under the Reorganization Act.

Mr. REECE. When did you begin to give your attention to the public health laws?

Lieutenant CALHOUN. So far as this particular code is concerned, I think it was about 8 or 9 months ago, Mr. Bulwinkle.

Mr. BULWINKLE. I think it started in January.
Lieutenant CALHOUN. January a year ago.

Mr. BULWINKLE. Yes.

Lieutenant CALHOUN. I believe that is correct.

Mr. REECE. You are satisfied that all of the statutes relating to the Public Health were found and have been considered in connection with the getting up of this bill?

Lieutenant CALHOUN. I would not guarantee it, sir; but I think that the procedure we followed resulted in us having before us everyone that any index that we knew anything about referred to. The Statutes at Large are particularly well indexed, and in going through each one of them, we picked up a great many bits of law that we did not even know existed, before we did it.

Mr. REECE. I am not thoroughly familiar with the procedure, but the legislative provisions which are attached to appropriation bills, are they indexed in such a way so that after a lapse of years they can be located?.

Lieutenant CALHOUN. They can be fairly well located in the indexes in the Statutes at Large. You see those bills are set out at length and are fairly well indexed in there by subject matters.

Mr. REECE, That is all.

Mr. BULWINKLE. Mr. Priest.

Mr. PRIEST. I have no questions.

Mr. BULWINKLE. Lieutenant, we thank you very much, sir, for what you have done and appreciate very much and thank you for coming up. Lieutenant CALHOUN. Thank you.

STATEMENT OF DR. OTTERBEIN DRESSLER, D. O., OF THE PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHY, PHILADELPHIA, PA.

Mr. BULWINKLE. Now, Dr. Dressler, we will be glad to hear you. Dr. DRESSLER. My name is Otterbein Dressler, D. O., of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathy, Philadelphia, Pa.

I am professor of pathology, at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathy, and director of laboratories of the Osteopathic Hospital of Philadelphia. Because of the proximity of the Philadelphia College to Washington and since it is representative of the approved institutions of osteopathy, I was invited by the chairman of the department of public relations of the American Osteopathic Association to present to you a concise picture of the training facilities of our Philadelphia college and hospital so that you might know the type of physician and surgeon that goes out from the institution to assume his place, mayhap in the commissioned Medical Corps of the Public Health Service.

The Philadelphia college and hospital are located at Forty-eighth and Spruce Streets in Philadelphia and represent an investment of more than $1,000,000. They contain completely equipped departments for clinical instruction in neurology, major surgery, gynecology, genitourinary and veneral diseases, eye, ear, nose and throat diseases, pediatrics, X-ray, physiotherapy, chemistry, toxicology, bacteriology, and my own department of pathology The hospital is approved as an intern-training institution by the Pennsylvania State Board of Surgery, which consists of two doctors of medicine and two osteopathic physicians and surgeons. Our graduates are admissible to take osteopathic or medical, as the case may be, examinations in all the States.

In order to matriculate in the Philadelphia college a student must present credentials showing at least 2 years college training-of course, before the war we encouraged them to take degrees but now just 2 years-in a recognized liberal arts college, showing a specified number of hours training in chemistry (inorganic and organic), physics, biology, and English, and recommended subjects of anatomy, bacteriology, physiology, and modern languages. The collegiate credits in physics, chemistry, and biology must conform to the requirements of the credentials bureau of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Instruction and the New York Board of Regents.

In addition, the general character and aptitudes of the student are given consideration in determining his eligibility. Once enrolled he starts in a professional course of 36 months leading to a degree of doctor of osteopathy. The first 2 years in the professional college cover the fundamental sciences, including anatomy, physiology, bacteriology, and so forth. A major portion of the time is spent in practical work in the laboratories. The time of the second year is given over largely to advanced study of the subjects of the first year, particularly pre

ventive medicine and bacteriology, pathology, pharmacology, and physical diagnosis. The last 2 years include the clinical or hospital studies, osteopathic medicine, therapeutics, surgery, obstetrics, and the specialties. With a foundation laid in the fundamental and osteopathic medical sciences, the student works under supervision in the dispensary, wards, and laboratories of the hospital. Senior students extern in the hospital. The entire work of the hospital is so organized that practically all cases entering are considered as potential teaching cases for students of the college. The hours of instruction in this institution parallel the requirements of both the American Osteopathic Association and the American Medical Association.

I have here a compilation of the relative curricula of all of the osteopathic schools and also Harvard Medical School, University of Kansas and Stanford University, which I would like to submit for inclusion at this point, if you please.

Mr. BULWINKLE. All right, sir.

(The compilation referred to is as follows:)

[From the October 1942 Journal of the American Osteopathic Association] *

Dr. DRESSLER. The public-health subject of immunology is projected in didactic and laboratory methods. The principles of infection and defense mechanism are emphasized. The values and shortcomings of the known biologicals are explored. Clinical instruction in the use of the biologicals is given.

At this point I should like to submit for inclusion without reading, this table of how we go about teaching the use of antitoxins and vaccines, and so forth.

Mr. BULWINKLE. Very well.

(The statement requested is as follows:)