The Health bulletin [serial] - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The Health Bulletin June, 1951personalities who would interfere witha continuation of this sound long-rangeplan fortunately are decreasing. Strifeand distrust must be replaced everywhereby constructive and patient understanding.A year ago attention was invited tothe rising toll from diseases of theheart and blood vessels, cancer, nephritis,diabetes, mental disease and accidents.Again, there is basis for the confidentbelief that we can work out aprogram in the control of these healthproblems in the non-communicable fieldthat will be ethical, acceptable andeffective, encroaching upon the prerogativesof none. All public health programsdirected against these problemswill have but one objective, that is, topromote early private medical care forthe patient and to insure the successof that care by providing to every physician,where needed, the services oftrained personnel in case-finding, follow-up,and rehabilitation. We canmake full use of lessons learned indeveloping dependable control techniquesagainst communicable diseasesand attack health hazards in the noncommunicablefield with the same vigor,tenacity and freedom from emotionalor personal consideration. Neither thepublic health armamentarium nor thatof the private practitioner can remainstatic. We must make progress together.The community patient and the individualpatient have each received increasinglyprompt, effective and adequatecare. Public Health procedureshave successively emphasized quarantineand fumigation, regulatory sanitation,isolation and immunization,chlorination and pasteurization, epidemiologicalinvestigation, nutrition andhealth education, prenatal care andfamily planning, case-finding and workingout arrangements for early treatmentby private physicians. There isalways resistance to change and thetimid have predicted dire calamity asprocedures acceptable in former dayshave become obsolete or the emphasishas been shifted. Private practitionerswill have happier and better work wheneach and every cancer, heart disease,diabetes and mental disease are foundearly just as they did when childrenbecame immunized against smallpox,typhoid, diphtheria, whooping coughand tetanus, and tuberculosis and syphiliswere detected earlier. Prompt eliminationof reservoirs of infection andof influences that undermine individualor community health has become a recognizednecessity.The field of opportunity for cooperationbetween public health and privatepractice is neither limited to communicabledisease control nor to services forthe indigent. Whatever proves mostbeneficial to the conservation, promotion,or recovery of health for the individualor the community patient hasbeen observed to be good for the doctor.There are no exceptions of consequenceto this rule. When we prevent the preventable,provide for universal earlycase-finding and arrange jointly forprompt and adequate treatment, no onesuffers. The private practitioner is aidedand the public benefited by state andlocal health departments that work towardprevention of disease, assist incase-finding and help to provide expensiveequipment and facilities fortreatment. Your public health departmentsare striving wholeheartedly forimprovement of working conditions forprivate practitioners and for the developmentof voluntary prepaymenthospital and medical care plans.As individuals and as a profession,we must continuously strive to makegood with the public who pay the billnot only for public health but for privatepractice as well. Better trainingin public relations and in our civic responsibilitiesis needed for our professionwhich must be alert to the continuingnecessity for current internalcorrections and long-range planning.This remains the biggest gap in medicaleducation. It has been said that, "thepublic is down on what they are notup on." As individuals and as a professionwe must have said of us thatwe are earnestly striving to make goodand better, not that we appear as if wethink we have arrived. In some casesprivate practitioners, while alert to the