PROGRESS
REPORT
ON
THE
“HEALTH
FOR
PEACE”
BILL
OF
1959
(SENATE
JOINT
RESOLUTION
41)
Lytt I. Gardner, M.D.
Department of PediatriCs, State University of New York, Upstate Medical Center
PEDIATRICS AND SOCIETY
145
Come my’ friends,
‘Tis not too late to seek a newer world. Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset . .
Tennyson , Ulysses
T
HIS is a progress report to the readersof PEDIAmIcs on the status of Senator
Listen Hill’s “Health for Peace” bill (Senate
J oint Resolution
41). This measure, whicilwould have set up an international institute
of medical research, passed the Senate May
20, 1959 Vitil flying colors but finally was
snagged in a House subcommittee through
tile summer of 1959.
The legislation received resounding ap-proval by the Senate, with a vote of 63 to
17. The bill proposed to organize an
Insti-tute of International Medical Research
within the framework of the National
Insti-tutes of Health.1 A $50,000,000 annual
ap-propniation was planned. Evidence of
wide-sI)read 1)ubliC support for tile measure was observed in the statements of authorities who spoke at tile Senate hearings concern-ing the bill.2 It is of interest that no one
appeared to testify against S.J. Res. 41
dun-ing the 6 days of hearings.
At lease two persons participating in the
hearings were members of the American
Academy of Pediatrics: Dr. Martha M. Eliot, Head, Department of Maternal and Child Health, Harvard School of Public Health and Dr. Sidney Farber (Honorary Associate Member), Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School.
Many witnesses pointed out the impor-tance of providing support for the research activities and the training of promising
ADDRESS: 766 Irving Avenue, Syracuse 10, New York.
scholars in other lands. On this subject, Dr.
Farber had this to say:
In many countries, such as Italy, the amount
of research support available is so small that
men of great skill and intellect are compelled to carry’ on only token research concerning
problems which are selected because they do
not require manpower, equipment, or modern
research facilities.
III a great basic research institute in Sweden
. . . a distinguished pathfinder in research
con-cerning the cell could double his research
ac-tivities, and tile number of scientists trained
in this field ‘here trained men are so rare, with a relatively small increase in his
The bill as drawn provides that an Insti-tute of International Health and Medical
Research be set up within the National
In-stitutes of Health. Eminent witnesses, such
as Dr. I. S. Ravdin and Dr. Sidney Farber, supported this position. Dr. Farber stated: If set up within the framework of the Na-tional Institutes of Health, with its rich
tradi-tion of devoted public service, admirable stand-ards of research administration, and many’
years of successful conduct of the world’s
larg-est research endeavors, the proposed new In-stitute of International Medical Research
should make a maximal contribution with the
funds available. This would be possible be-cause unnecessary duplication of effort could
be avoided by utilizing the staffs, the
adminis-trative machinery, and the invaluable
experi-ence of the existing Institutes of Health.2 It was ne-emphasized by various witnesses that the bill (S.J. Res. 41) represented a program designed to “use man’s skill and knowledge in a common struggle against
disease and ill health.”2
Dr. Detlev Bronk, President, Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, observed:
As the world is shrunk by accelerated travel and communication and torn apart by
inter-national conflicts, it is of timely importance to
further undertakings such as this, which dem-onstrate the possibilities of peoples working together. . . . And so I believe that through
such shared common scientific efforts, we are
going to leave a residue of faith among peoples
everywhere that they can, through common
efforts, acquire that which they all desire, and
acquire it by peaceful means.2
In a similar vein Dr. Farber stated:
. . . Senate Joint Resolution 41 . . . will be
re-garded as one of the great landmarks in the history’ of medicine. Indeed . . . the impact of
this bill will be felt far beyond medical re-search. It will make its mark on the history of
the world.2
The May 20 passage of the measure by the Senate appeared to be entirely bipar-tisan and nonpartisan. The next day it was referred to the Committee on Interstate and
Foreign Commerce of the House for action.
By the middle of June it had become
ap-parent that the bill was caught “in commit-tee.” From the viewpoint of the proponents of the measure, it seemed that the forces of dankness had now begun to take shape, even though no opposition had been pne-sented in the earlier Senate hearings. The
New York Times voiced editorial alarm
over the situation:
In a democracy there is always the danger that some measure that actually has
over-whelming support from a majority of the
peo-plc will get bogged down in cumbersome legis-lative machinery and fail of adoption. A good example is Senator Lister Hill’s “Health for Peace” bill which is now before the House. This is the measure to create at a relatively
small cost an international health research
cen-ten and start to carry out some phases of President Eisenhower’s “Health for Peace” program. ...
The measure has now gone to the House, where it must go through the Committee on
Interstate and Foreign Commerce and its sub-committee on Health and Safety before it can be brought to the floor of the chamber for a vote. Thus far, after a month, the committee has not yet been called upon to consider the bill. There is therefore this danger that it will
be allowed to get over into that last-minute
rush before a fixed adjournment date and never even come up for consideration. This would be a tragedy to the cause of health and the cause of peace. . . .
In spite of
protestations by privatemdi-viduals and by the press,48 June, July and
August passed without action by the House
committee. On August 17, 1959, Represen-tative Kenneth A. Roberts (Ala.) was ne-ported to have stated that the bill would not be passed unless tile Administration changed its attitude. This attitude was de-scnibed as the view that basic authority for the international medical research program should be vested in the President and that the funds for the program should be
in-eluded in the appropriations for the Mutual Security Pnogram. Rep. Roberts was quoted on this position as follows:
I wish the Administration would change
its viewpoillt. The insistence of the
Admin-istration On its position will bring against this
bill all members opposed to Mutual
Secur-ity and International Cooperation Administra-tion funds. This could be avoided if the Ad-ministration would take the Senate version of the bill, which gives the money to the Na-tional Institutes of Health. Moreover, if foreign policy is to be tile consideration in granting
medical research funds, medical advance would cease to be the aim. Suppose a scientist in
Poland were best qualified to conduct a
spe-cialized medical research project. Should the needed money’ go to shore up foreign policy’ in a friendlier country’, say Turkey or France?
Obviously S.J. Res. 41 was in a rather
complicated situation, and one which was
difficult to evaluate by the outside observer.
On August
24, 1949, the New York Timeseditorially suggested that some of the argu-ments advanced against bringing S.J. Res. 41 out of the House committee did not ring
entirely true.7 The editorial writer
com-mented that those in control of the measure,
although they said they favored it, were fearful of a presumptive Administration
at-titude that would hurt its chances.
sug-147
Whereas advances in combating and abating
gested that the measure be brought to a
vote to test tile Administration’s attitude,
and that a presidential veto was
unthink-able.
At this stage of developments the inno-cent bystander is left with the impression
that all is not as it seems. Whatever the
forces at play, the measure remained im-pacted. In the last week of August a
dna-matic and agonal gesture was made by
Dr.
Tom Dooley, who had returned from his jungle ilospital in Laos for a cancer
opera-tion. On the (lay before he went to tile
open-ating room ile sent telegrams to more than 50 leaders in Congress urging action on S.J. Res. 41.8 Fortunately Dr. Dooley left the operating room and convalesced normally,
but the “Health for Peace” bill languished
in tile House committee. It was still there
when the 86th Congress adjourned.
At this writing the measure is in the
ilands of the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commence, Subcommittee on Health and Safety. In the 86th Congress the
Chairman of the Full Committee was Oren
Harris (Ark.), and of the Subcommittee
Kenneth A. Roberts (Ala.). Other members of the House Subcommittee on Health and Safety were: George M. Rhodes (Pa.), Leo W. O’Brien (N.Y.), Paul G. Rogers (Fla.), Lawrence Brock (Neb.), Paul F. Schenck (Ohio), Samuel L. Devine (Ohio) and
An-ciler Nelsen
(
Minn.).This writer has been advised that persons interested in the “Health for Peace” bill should convey their opinions and sugges-tions to the Congressmen listed above and! on to their own Representatives. A slightly abbreviated version of S.J. Res. 41 follows this communication.
REFERENCES
1. Senate Joint Resolution 41, Report No. 243,
Calendar No. 232, 86th Congress, 1st
Session. Reported by Mr. Hill, with
amendments, May 11, 1959, Washington,
D.C., U.S. Government Printing Office, 26 pp.
2. The International Health and Medical Re-search Act of 1959, Report (to accompany’ Senate Joint Resolution 41), May 11,
1959. Washington, D.C., US.
Govern-ment Printing Office, 22 pp.
3. Editorial: The “Health for Peace” Bill. The New York Times, June 21, 1959.
4. Gardner, L. I. : Letter to the Editor. The
New York Times, June 28, 1959.
5. Editorial: Global Health Planning. The New
York Times, July 13, 1959.
6. News item: Medical Aid Bill Seen in Jeopard’-Head of House Unit Asserts
Administration Attitude Puts Passage in
Doubt. The New York Times, August 18, 1959.
7. Editorial: The Health for Peace Bill. The New York Times, August 24, 1959. 8. Rusk, H. A. : For Dooley and Laos-Jungle
Doctor Gains in Cancer Fight as Drive
is Begun for Health Agency. The New
York Times, August 30, 1959.
Appendix
J
OINT RESOLUTION TO ESTABLISH A NATIONALINSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL HEALTH AND
MEDICAL RESEARCH, TO PROVIDE FOR
INTERNA-TIONAL COOPERATION IN HEALTH RESEARCH,
RESEARCH TRAINING, AND RESEARCH PLANNING,
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
The “Health for Peace” Bill
Senate Joint Resolution 41
Report No. 243
(Reported May 11, 1959 with amendments)
To establish in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare the National Advisory Council for International Medical Research, and to establish in the Public Health Service the National Institute for International Mcdi-cal Research, in order to help mobilize the
efforts of medical scientists, research workers, technologists, teachers, and members of the
health professions generall’, in the United
States and abroad, for assault upon disease,
disability and the impairments of man and for
the improvement of the health of man through international cooperation in research, research
training, and research planning.
Whereas it is recognized that disease and
disability’ are the common enemies of all na-tions and peoples, and that the means,
ineth-ods, and techniques for combating and abating
the ravages of disease and disability and for improving the health and health standards of man should be sought and shared, without
ne-gard to national boundaries and divisions;
disease and in the positive promotion of hu-man health can be stimulated by supporting
and encouraging cooperation among scientists,
research workers, and teachers on an interna-tional basis, with consequent benefit to the
health of our people and of all peoples; and
Whereas there already’ exist tested means
for international cooperation in matters
relat-ing to health, including the World Health Or-ganization, the Pan American Health Organi-zation and the United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF), with which the United States is identified and associated, and it is highly
de-sirable that the United States establish
domes-tic machinery for the maximum mobilization
of its health research resources, the more
effi-ciently’ to cooperate with and support the
re-search, research-training and research-planning eildeavOrs of such international organization.
Therefore be it resolved by the Senate and
House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that this
joint resolution may’ be cited as the “Interna-tional Health and Medical Research Act of
1959.
Sec. 2. It is the purpose of this joint resolu-tion to advance the status of the health sciences
in the United States, the health standards of the American people, and those of other coun-tries and peoples, by cooperative endeavors in
health research, research planning, and
re-search training with the scientists, research workers, technicians, experts, and teachers of other countries; and to that end to help
mobi-lize the health sciences in the United States as
a force for peace, progress, and good will
among the peoples of the world.
Sec. 3. There is hereby established in the Public Health Service, within the National
In-stitutes of Health, the National Institute for
International Health and Medical Research
(
hereinafter referred to as the “Institute”).Sec. 4. Subject to the supervision and direc-tion of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (hereinafter referred to as the
“Secre-tary”), the Surgeon General of the United States Public Health Service, through the
In-stitute and in cooperation with the National
Advisory Council for International Health and Medical Research hereinafter established, shall
carry’ out the provisions of this joint resolution, and for such purpose may utilize, in addition to the Institute, other units of the Public Health Service and, subject to the approval of
the Secretary’, the Office of Vocational
Reha-bilitation, the Children’s Bureau, and such other agencies and offices in the Department of
Health, Education , and Welfare (hereinafter referred to as the “Department”) as he may
deem advisable.
Sec. 5. (a) There is hereby’ established a
Na-tional Advisory Council for International Health and Medical Research (hereinafter re-ferred to as the “Council”), consisting of the
Surgeon General, who shall be Chairman, the Director of the Office of Vocational Rehabili-tation or his representative, who shall be cx
officio members, and sixteen members
ap-pointed by the Secretary’ without regard to the civil service laws, twelve nominated by the Surgeon Ceneral, two nominated by the Di-rector of the Office of Vocational Rehabilita-tion, and two nominated by the Chief of the Children’s Bureau. The sixteen appointed
mem-hers shall be leaders in the fields of health
re-search; health sciences; teaching and training in the health sciences; and public and interna-tional affairs; and shall include, among others, leaders ill fields related to the health of
moth-ers and children and in the field of
rehabilita-tion. Each appointed member shall hold office for a term of four ‘ears ..
(b) The Council is authorized to (1) advise, consult with, and make recommendations to the Secretary and the Surgeon General Ofl
mat-tens relating to the purposes and activities an-thorized by’ this joint resolution; (2) review
applications for financial grants under section
6 (a) and recommend to the Surgeon General
its approval of those applications which it
be-lieves show promise of making valuable
con-tributions to carrying out the purposes of this
joint resolution, and n financi il grant made
under the terms of this joint resolution shall be approved by’ the Surgeon General except after review and recOmmelldatiOil for approval by the Council; and (3) review, and make
recom-mendations to the Surgeon General with re-spect to, such other research projects or pro-grams or proposals therefor, relating to the purposes of this joint resolution, as may be submitted to or initiated by it.
[Sections 5 (c) and 5 (d) deal with aspects of the salaries of Council members.]
(e) Provision shall be made by the Secretary
invited to meet with the Surgeon General, and,
when appropriate, with the Council, to
dis-cuss programs and problems of common
in-terest.
Sec. 6. (a) In carrying out the purposes of this joint resolution, the Surgeon General is
authorized to encourage, support, promote the
coordination of, and otherwise cooperate and
assist in the training for, and the planning and
conduct of, in foreign countries and (when
deemed necessary to carry out such purpose) in the United States, [medical] research,
in-vestigations, experiments, and studies . . . and
to these
ends-(
1) make financial grants to universities,hos-pitals, laboratories, or other public or private
institutions or agencies, or to individuals, in
foreign countries or in the United States, or contract with such institutions, agencies, or
in-dividuals vithout regard to sections 3648 and
3709 of the Revised Statutes;
(2) make grants or loans of equipment, or of Inedical, biological, physical, or chemical
sub-stances or other materials, for use by such
institutions, or individuals;
(3)
furnish technical assistance and advice to such institutions or agencies;(
4) provide to such institutions or agencies,and pay the compensation and expenses of,
scientists and experts from the United States
and other countries (including the payment of
travel and subsistence for such scientists and
cx-perts when away from their places of
resi-dence);
(5)
cooperate and assist in the planning andconduct of research, research planning, and
research training programs and projects by the
World Health Organizaton and other
interna-tional organizations or groups engaged in, or
concerned with, research or research training
endeavors in the health sciences, and, through
financial grants or other appropriate means,
assist in special research, research planning, or research training projects conducted by or
Ililder the auspices of such organizations where
they’ can effectively’ carry out such activities
contemplated by this joint resolution;
(
6) encourage and support the coordination of experiments and programs of research con-ducted in the United States with relatedpro-grams conducted abroad, by’ facilitating the
in-terchange of research scientists and experts
be-tween the United States and foreign countries and among other countries who are engaged
in such experiments and programs of research, including the payment of per diem compensa-tion, subsistence, and travel for such scientists and experts when away’ from their places of residence, as provided for experts and
con-sultants in subsection (b) hereof;
(7)
establish and maintain researchfellow-ships within the National Institutes of Health
and elsewhere with such allowances
(includ-ing travel and subsistence expenses) as may be deemed necessary to train United States
re-search workers, research teachers, technicians,
and experts in the laboratories of other
coun-tries and to provide for the training of talented
research fellows from abroad in the United States or in other countries, and, in addition,
provide for such fellowships and other research
training through financial grants to public and
other nonprofit institutions or agencies in the United States or other countries;
(8)
provide, through financial grants, loans,or contracts (without regard to the provisions of sections 3648 and 3709 of the Revised Sta-tutes), for the improvement or alteration of
facilities, including the erection of temporary
facilities, for research and research training
purposes when necessary to carry out the pun-poses of this joint resolution with respect to
any project;
(9)
conduct research, investigations, experi-ments, and studies in foreign countries or inthe United States;
(
10) encourage and support international communication ill the sciences relating tohealth by means of calling or cooperating in the convening, and financing or contributing to the financing of the expenses of, intema-tional scientific meetings and conferences; and provide, or arrange for the provision of, trans-lating and other services, and issue or finance publications, leading to a more effective dis. semination of relevant scientific information
with respect to research conducted in the United States or foreign countries.
[Subsection 6 (a) (11) deals with minor ad-ministrative matters.]
Sec. 6. (b) The Surgeon General is
autho-rized (1) to employ experts and consultants or
organizatiolls thereof . . . individuals so
em-ploved shall be entitled to compensation and
allowances as provided in section 5 (c) for
members of the Council; and (2) to employ and make pa’ments of compensation to aliens
“HEALTH FOR PEACE” BILL
(c) The Secretary is authorized to establish and fix the compensation for, within the
Dc-partment (including any agency thereof), in addition to other positions for carrying out this joint resolution, not more than ten scientific,
professional, and administrative positions to
effectuate those activities in the Department
111 carrying out this joint resolution which
re-quire the services of specially qualified
scien-tific professional, or administrative personnel, in the same manner and subject to the same limitations as in the case of the positions
au-thorized under section 208 (g) of the Public
Health Service Act.
(d) In carrying out the provisions of this
joint resolution the Surgeon General is
autho-nized to establish offices in foreign countries . .
Sec. 7. . . . the Secretary shall take such
steps as in his judgement are necessary or
ap-propriate to assure that . . . (a) the facilities
and services of agencies and offices of the
Dc-partment other than the Public Health Service
are utilized to the optimum extent; (b)
provi-sion is made for coordination of the work of,
and consultation between, the Public Health
Service and such other agencies and offices of the Department; (c) in determining (within the limits of available appropriations) the
rela-tive emphasis, priorities, and fund allocations
for the various areas within the overall pro-gram, appropriate weight and recognition is
given to research and research-training needs
in fields involving or related to rehabilitation and to maternal health and child health; and
(d) this joint resolution shall be administered
consistently with the foreign policy of the United States as determined by the President and the Secretary of State.
Sec. 8. (a) There is hereby authorized to be appropriated to the Surgeon General the sum of $50,000,000 annually’, to carry’ out the pro-visions of this joint resolution. [The rest of Sec. 8 (a) and Sec. 8 (b) is concerned with bookkeeping details.]
Sec. 9. (a) The Surgeon General is
aiitho-nized to make, with the approval of the See-retary, such administrative and other
regula-tions as he finds necessary’ to carry out the
provisions of this joint resolution. (19 The
Sur-geon General may delegate to any officer or
employee of the Service such of his powers
and duties under this joint resolution, except
the making of regulations, as he may deem
necessary or expedient.
Sec. 10. The activities authorized herein shall not extend to the support of public health, medical care, or other programs of an opera-tional nature as contrasted with research, re-search planning, and research training, nor
shall any of the grants herein authorized in-elude grants for the improvement or extension
of public health administration in other
coun-tries except for necessary research, research planning, and research training in the science
of public health and public health
administra-lion.
Sec. 11. [S.
J.
Res. 41 not to supersede any previous regulations].Sec. 12. [Describes the reports to be
