262 A HISTORY OF NATIONAL TUBERCULOSIS ASSOCIATION 



tion be given to placing them, whenever possible, where their facilities will be 

 available for the development of such special tuberculosis departments in our 

 medical schools. 



WHEREAS, The rehabilitation of our tuberculous ex-service men and 

 women is at once our most imperative duty and the biggest problem in public 

 health before our people, and 



WHEREAS, The National Tuberculosis Association through the cooperation 

 with the government services, both of the executive staff and of its individual 

 members, has acquired a close familiarity with the work of these various ser- 

 vices and especially that of the tuberculosis hospitals, and 



WHEREAS, The best results in these hospitals can only be attained by the 

 maintenance of a close cooperation of physicians and patients under strict dis- 

 ciplinary regulations, and 



WHEREAS, Such conditions do not at present generally exist in government 

 tuberculosis hospitals in spite of the continuous and conscientious effort of gov- 

 ernment departments, and 



WHEREAS, The chief causes of this fatal defect are: first, the demoralizing 

 influence upon many of the men of the present compensation act and its ad- 

 ministration; second, the failure of the public, of the Congress, of the local 

 posts of the American Legion and of other organizations interested in the wel- 

 fare of ex-service men, to familiarize themselves with the facts of the tuber- 

 culosis situation and to bring to the aid of the government departments that 

 intelligent cooperation which they sorely need and without which they cannot 

 do their best work; be it therefore 



Resolved, That it be urged upon Congress both by the executive office of the 

 National Tuberculosis Association and by each affiliated state association 

 through the members of its state delegation, that the government departments 

 be given the assistance necessary to establish the discipline so essential to the 

 maintenance of this needed morale by: 



First, such changes in the compensation act as will result in the immediate 

 and material reduction in compensation for those cases who refuse to make 

 proper use of the facilities provided for their benefit, and 



Second, by making the welfare of the men and of the country at large, and 

 not the desires of the individual constitutents, the basis of action both as re- 

 gards appointments of those charged with the care of these men, and as regards 

 the individual cases of the men themselves. 



Resolved, That the National Tuberculosis Association hereby expresses its 

 appreciation and commendation of the efforts thus far of the national officials 

 of the American Legion to have corrected the defects in legislation pertaining 

 to rehabilitation of ex-service men, and its administration, and urges the 

 Legion to continue these efforts and to see that its local posts throughout the 

 country give their full cooperation to the government departments in their 

 efforts to prevent an uncontrolled minority of the ex-service men from seriously 

 interfering, as they now do, with the chance of the recovery of their fellow 

 patients. 



