EIGHT- MEDrORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE
Tuesday, November 8, 1955
Law Urged On Reporting Health
Condition of Country's Leader
By DR. WALTER C. ALVAREZ
Emeritus Consultant in Medicine,
Mayo Clinic, and Emeritus Pro
fessor of Medicine, Mayo
Foundation
During the last month the
American people have seen a
marked and most commendable
improvement in the methods of
repdfting on the health of the
President. There have been times
in the past when a president
9 was operated on for cancer, and
every effort was made to keep
this information from trie public.
As Ike Hoover, once chief White
House usher wrote, when Presi
dent Wilson suffered his first
stroke and suddenly became a
much-changed and "difficult"
man, this fact and its tremen
dous importance to "the world
was not published. Later, when
on a speaking-trip Wilson had
another stroke this too was kept
secret. Still later, when Dr. Hugh'
Young, the country's leading
urologist, was summoned to the
White House, physicians could
guess what was happening, but
as I remember, the public was
not told much.
Sick" Man Left at Helm
Because of this secrecy, a very
sick and inflexible man was left
at the helm of our government
at a time when an exceedingly
able, diplomatic and conciliatory
man was needed to complete the
negotiations for the peace, and
to so arrange matters that a sec
ond World War would not be
come inevitable.
We saw much the same sort
of thing toward the close of the
life of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
No physician, or even layman,
could look at the picture of
Roosevelt with a cape over his
shoulders, sitting between Stalin
and Churchill, without knowing
that here was a very ill man a
man who was dying. No physi
cian listening to Roosevelt, as
he made some of his later speech
es, could help but note the
changed voice, so typical of a
man who has suffered a series
of little strokes.
As, in their last years, I watch
ed the marked changes that took
place in Wilson and Roosevelt,
I kept wishing that Congress safety and our international rela-
would devise some method by
which the mental and physical
fitness of a President, or candi
date for the Presidency, could be
assessed by an impartial board
of outstanding physicians. These
men, without any restrictions on
their opinions, should then re
port to Congress and the people
of the United States. They should
report as Dr. Paul Dudley White
recently did in simple, under
standable speech.
Could Summon Specialists
The board of experts could
consist, perhaps, of the senior
professors of medicine of the six
leading universities in the coun
try. When in need of advice in
some particular field of medicine
these men would summon out
standing specialists, just as Presi
d e n t Eisenhower's physicians
summoned Dr. White.
Why should we in this coun
try set up such a board? Be
cause, in the past, we have had
no way of getting the truth
about the health of our leader or
of a presidential candidate for
whom we were asked to vote.
The White House physicians have
always been bound by the same
injunction to secrecy that us
ually makes it impossible even
for a court to learn from a phy
sician what is wrong with his
patient or what his patient said
to him in confidence. We cannot
expect a President's physician
to tell us any more of the truth
than the President or his political
advisers want us to have. The
doctor's lips are sealed. Worse
yet, if the President or his party's
leaders desire it, the doctor must
lie manfully and maintain that
a very sick President is wonder
fully fit. If consultants are call
ed, they also must remain silent,
unless they are given permission
to speak.
Must be Frank and Honest
The only justification for re
stricting this right of the Presi
dent to privacy in regard to his
health and 'the nature of any
illness he may have is that, as
our most important public serv
ant, on whose health and espe
cially mental health, our national
On The Side by e. v. Durimg
(Distributed by King Furum Syndicate, Inc.)
An extremely lively place in . is a baron of beef? How much
Europe in the good old" summer j does it weigh?
time is Sylt Island, which is off "I had no great faith in astrol-
tne nonnwesi corner ui
many. This island has two gam
bling casinos, innumerable night
clubs and 30 miles of beaches. It
is a sun bather's paradise. No
bathing suits are worn. Every
body bathes in the nude and
thinks nothing of it.
Horses and Women
A day never passes somebody
doesn't bring up that query, "Do
women dress to attract men, or
to arouse the envy of other wo
men?" There is nothing baffling
about this question. The answer
is simple. Women dress to at
tract men. If they attract men,
they arouse the envy of other
women. Which is, of course, ad
ditionally pleasing. Another
question discussed daily is, "Are
men fetter automobile drivers
than "women?" The answer to
that is also simple. Men are
more skilled drivers than wo
men. Women are safer drivers
than men. That is, a man can
park a car better than a woman
or guide it more skillfully
through traffic. On highways or
city streets where speed is pos
sible, women are safter drivers
than men.
o
Q Passing By
Yvonne O'Brian, Truly beau
tiful wife of Jack O'Brian, the
e distinguished and discerning tel
evision critic. Mrs. O'Brian is
the daughter of that picturesque
figure of the sports world, the
late James Joy Johnston, noted
boxing manager . . . Sally Rand,
the delightfully dynamic daring
danseuse. Originally a cinema
cutie, she was a Wampas baby
star of 1928. Later that year she
appeared at the Palace, New
York, as - a dancer. That is a
toe dancer no bubbles, no fans.
In 1934 after she had switched
to bubbles and fan dancing, her
weekly salary was $6,000.
Facts
The proper way to pronounce
the first name of Knute Rockne
is "Kanute." . . . An old song
that might stand a very success
ful revival is Harry Kennedy's
ballad titled "Molly and I and
the Baby" . . . 'Add to members
of My Name is a Poem Club
Virgil SturgiH, Asheville, N.C.,
and Hillary Guillary, Orange,
Texas.
Asides
What's the world's widest
street? Gorky Street, Moscow,
has six lanes for automobile traf
fic on each side and a strip
down the middle for the exclu
sive use of ambulances and fire
engines ... As for having the
laundry done in a hurry, there
is a sign in the window of a
Daly City, Calif., laundry read
ing, "In Dirty at Ten Thirty. Out
Clean at Two Thirty." That is a
four-hour laundry service . . .
So xou consider yourself a well
informed fellow? Alright, what
ogy but decided to keep an open
mind on the subject and check
the claims of the stargazers,"
writes a feminine subscriber. "I
checked the claim that Capri
corn (December 22-January 19)
women are flat chested. That is
amazingly accurate. I ' checked
on a great number of Capricorn
females and there wasn't a sweat
er girl in the lot. Scorpio (Octo
ber 23-November 22) women
have the most "oomph" but are
inclined to emphasize it in a ra
ther vulgar way. Besides, they
pour too much provocative per
fume over their persons."
Briefly
There are nearly a million
licensed women automobile driv
ers in Los Angeles county, Cali
fornia. Exact number is 921,988
. . . Most recent of innumerable
feminine celebrities to switch
from blonde to brunette is Betty
Grable. What's the matter with
being a blonde? Could it be that
blondes have taken seriously
that film titled
Marry Brunettes?"
'Gentlemen
Sirens
That superbly streamlined
screen siren Diana Dors is re
peatedly referred to as t h e
"British Marilyn Monroe." There
is a "French Marilyn Monroe,"
and an "Italian Marilyn Monroe"
and a German Marilyn Monroe."
In fact, practically every nation
on the globe has a female they
belvieve to be a reasonable fac
simile of our Miss Monroe. How
ever, I am in complete accord
with the man who said, "Marilyn
Monroe has a million imitators
and no rivals."
Formula
When Adolph Zukor founded
his film production organization,
he said what is policy would
be in five words. They were:
"Famous plays with famous
players." That is a film produc
tion formula that rarely fails.
It has made many a man a mil
lionaire. Samuel Goldwyn, for
merly associated with Zukor,
has been following it for years.
As for example, in the current
Goldwyn production "Guys and
Dolls," based on the famous play
of the same name, with such fa
mous players as Marlon Brando,
Vivian Blaine and Frank Sinatra.
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tions depend, he must be frank
and honest with us. We have a
right to know if he is or is not
fit to carry on his duties. We are
like large stockholders in a com
pany who have a right to know
if the elderly man who is being
considered for the position of
President or general manager is
still sufficiently fit and energetic,
and youngish in his mental pro
cesses. I sympathize deeply with the
desire of a President of the Unit
ed States to retain a little pri
vacy, but in this matter of giving
out reports on his health, I think j
he should surrender his right to
demand silence on the part of his
physicians. The Lord knows a
President has to surrender most
of his rights of privacy the day
he enters the White House.
Would Be No Need for Law
If a President and his physi
cians and consulting physicians
were always as frank and honest
as we have watched them be in
the past six weeks, there would
be no need for the law I am
advocating. If Congress ever does
enact a law designed to give the
public an honest and uninhibited
opinion in regard to the Presi
dent's health, the legislators
ought to go further and make
possible the securing of informa
tion as to the health, sanity and
efficiency of candidates for the
Presidency and Vice-Presidency,
and for candidates for the posts
of Senators and Representatives.
Many a time able psychiatrists
have expressed to me their con
cern over the condition of a
member or members of Congress.
-m-- ... '
j
STORMY FAMILY
Plymouth, Ind. U.R) The
women in the Clarence Hlava
cek family Gladys, Carol. Con
nie, and Diane really have
something to "blow about." All
have had a hurricane named for
them. Darlene, nine, is the only
female member of the family
who didn't make the distin
guished list. But there's always
next year.
DIDN'T SEEK FAVOR Democrat Senator and Mrs. Den
nis Chavez of New Mexico smile and wave a greeting as
they arrive in Washington, D. C, aboarc' a regularly
scheduled military air transport from Europe. The senator
stoutly insisted he never had ordered a special Air Force
plane be sent to return him to the U. S. Air Force officer
at top of ramp is unidentified.
Personal Income
Highest in History
Washington U.R) Ameri
cans received more personal in
come in September than in any
one month in history.
The Commerce Department
has reported that if the Septem
ber rate of personal income from
all sources were sustained for a
year it would total more than
305 billion dollars.
American Lawmakers
Meet Chiang Kai-Shek
Taipeh, Formosa (U.R) Two
American lawmakers "who con
ferred with Genealissimo Chi-
ang-Kai-Shef leave Formosa to
day for separate destinations.
Senator Leverett Saltonstall
(R-Mass.) and Rep. Michael A.
Feighan (D-O.) met with Chiang
Monday. Subject of the talks was
not disclosed. Saltonstall goes to
Manila and Feighan heads for
Tokyo today.
Quotes From the News
, By, UNITED PRESS
Memphis Joseph C. Chastain, of Dallas, Tex., in a speech to
a Disciples of Christ meeting:
"The church is facing a generation which is trying to drink its
way to prosperity, war its way to peace, spend its way to wealth
and enjoy its way to heaven."
London The London Daily Mail quoting Egyptian Premier
Gamal Abdel Nasser on Egypt's arms purchase from the Soviet
bloc:
"I read in an American newspaper a careful analysis of our
situation. It said the Arabs would always be defeated by Israel un
less Egypt could buy arms from Russia. So I took that good Ameri
can advice."
Washington Defense Secretary Charles E. Wilson to photog
raphers who asked him to remove the homburg he wore on his
return from the Geneva foreign ministers conference:
"You mean you want me to look more like a businessman
again and not a diplomat?"
Hutchinson, Kan. Farmer J. O. Snyder to a Senate Agricul
ture subcommittee which asked him for details of his proposed
farm program:
"Ignorance is forgivable, but knowing something and being
stupid about it, that's something else."
Hollywood Producer Jack Denove on his fruitless search for
a girl to play Tarzan's mate in a television series:
"Too many girls here look as if they're going to Ciro's instead
of to the jungle."
Fairmont, Minn Eugene Smith, 27, of Toledo, O.,
burglarized some 3,000 churches in three countries:
"I have a grudge against churches."
on why he
N. Y. C. EXAMPLE
Chicago (U.P.) The Civil
Service Assembly holds up as
an example to other communi
ties the New York City policy
of giving recognition to city em
ployees who write articles, book
reviews and books connected
with their work. New York puts
out a special pamphlet listing
its employee-authors and their
contributions. The pamphlet is
sent to other officials and em
ployees of the city.
117 S. CENTRAL PHONE 2-6241
U Li, r-S?j4l kfr,,'
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- ' ' firA - S
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Many a big moment in life starts with
the telephone... whenever a call brings
news of an engagement in the family, or
a birth, or of a visit by someone special.
And this doesn't include the hundred
and one other ways your telephone serves
you helping you get things done and
making life easier and more fun.
'Round the clock, every day of the year,
telephone people are on the job to see that
your telephone is ready to serve you in
every way possiblewhenever you need it.
The phone call Bo'sun Bill dreamed of for months. The
long, low tanker had docked earlier in the afternoon. But it was dusk
before Bo'sun Bill could step ashore and get to a telephone. He had
thought about this call for nearly half a year. For looking forward
to a reunion with the family back home is a favorite pastime when a
man's away at sea. As Bill placed his long distance call, he sounded
perfectly calm. But inside, his excitement ran deep. And maybe you
can imagine the feeling at the other end of the line when the phone
rang moments later. For can't you recall telephone reunions that
meant just as much to you? Indeed, time and again, the telephone
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o