SECTION A PUBLIC HEALTH 



(Hall 13, September 21, 10 a. TO.) 



CHAIRMAN: DR. WALTER WYMAN, Surgeon-General of the U. S. Public Health 



and Marine Hospital Service. 

 SPEAKERS: PROFESSOR WILLIAM T. SEDGWICK, Massachusetts Institute of 



Technology. 

 DR. ERNST J. LEDERLE, Former Commissioner of Health, New 



York City. 

 SECRETARY: DR. H. M. BRACKEN, St. Paul, Minn. 



DR. WALTER WYMAN, Surgeon-General of the United States 

 Public Health and Marine Hospital Service, and Chairman of the 

 Section of Public Health, in calling the Section to order, expressed 

 his appreciation of the honor that had been conferred upon him in 

 being made the presiding officer of so important a section, and 

 congratulated the members of the Congress who were present on 

 taking part in a congress so unique in history, so distinguished in 

 membership, and whose proceedings would doubtless prove of such 

 great value to mankind. 



Recent legislation (Act of July 1, 1902) had provided for the 

 United States a body practically fulfilling the requirements of a 

 national board of health under the name of Public Health and 

 Marine Hospital Service, an evolution from the century-old Marine 

 Hospital Service. The Service controlled a laboratory for the in- 

 vestigation of infectious diseases and matters relating to the public 

 health, its medical corps comprised between three hundred and 

 four hundred medical officers, distributed throughout the United 

 States and also representing the Service in foreign lands in sanitary 

 matters. 



The difficulty had been hitherto to establish a national health 

 organization in which there might be a representation of the states 

 without weakening the administrative and executive force of the 

 national service and giving the states a voice in at least the 

 consideration of matters pertaining to the public health. This had 

 been brought about by the provision for annual conferences between 

 the state and national health authorities. 



One difficulty which has always faced Congress in the establish- 

 ment of a national health organization was not to assume extra, 

 constitutional rights. The power of Congress in matters pertaining 

 to epidemic disease and matters relating to public health lie chiefly 

 in its power to regulate commerce, though doubtless many would 

 believe that under the public welfare clause of the Constitution 



