BIOLOGY IN HUMAN AFFAIRS 



agencies are appointed and maintained under law for the 

 benefit of all the citizens of the areas concerned, and their 

 expenses are defrayed out of the taxes. Their employees 

 are responsible to the people for proper performance of 

 duties. Their field usually comprises the whole range of 

 health problems arising in their jurisdictions. They have 

 legal authority to use police powers in the enforcement 

 of health laws. Voluntary health agencies may be subject 

 to local laws regarding incorporation, but are not responsi- 

 ble to the general public. They may engage in general 

 health activities, but are more commonly devoted to one 

 activity or one group of activities, as, for example, the 

 control of cancer or the improvement of health in children. 

 They sometimes apply only to selected groups of the 

 population, such as the students of a university or the 

 employees of a factory. The funds for voluntary health 

 work do not emanate from the tax receipts, but are secured 

 by bequests, donations, various propaganda devices, or the 

 solicited or required contributions of the benefited clientele. 

 They have no legal power to enforce measures. 



Both official and voluntary health activities have in 

 the past been subjected to some influences which have 

 impeded or, to an extent, frustrated their usefulness. In 

 the former, political preferment has perhaps been the 

 greatest stumbling block. In the latter, exploitation by 

 plausible but incompetent or unscrupulous job-holders 

 has played its part. Happily the past few decades have 

 witnessed a great improvement in both of these respects, but 

 the memories and vestiges of these drawbacks have left 

 their impress upon the outlook of public health work. 

 Their return must be guarded against if popular confidence 

 is to be deserved or retained. 



Owing very largely to the hindrances which have been 

 alluded to, there has been in the past some distrust and 

 friction between certain official and voluntary health 



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