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their respective fields. These organizations are supported by private or public contributions, and their purpose is to make available to established health agencies the fruits of their studies, experimentation, and demonstrations. They have conducted certain important health demonstrations to test the practicability of their studies, demonstrations that federal agencies were unable to make because of restrictive legislation, lack of funds, and, too frequently, lack of initiative. The results of their investigations have been accepted as standards in many phases of the field of public health.
In sanatorium planning and construction, a very highly specialized field, the Indian Office has not until within the last few months consulted those agencies to which the entire country looks for guidance and standards. The service offered by these organizations is available merely for the asking. The Indian Service hospitals and sanatoria are much below the minimum standards in planning, construction, and administration.
Although the Indian Office has from time to time permitted outside agencies to make valuable studies on the reservations, it has taken more of a passive than an active interest. It has not viewed the situation from the standpoint of possible incorporation into its own program of a demonstrated method. Further, it has not often in the past assumed the initiative in requesting expert opinion from the outside.
The Secretary of the Interior, however, took a commendable step to correct this state of affairs when he requested the Public Health Service in 1926 to detail a member of that organization to the Office of Indian Affairs to assist in the reorganization of the Indian medical service.
In 1924 the Office collaborated with the American Child Health Association in the preparation of health education material for the boarding schools. The American Junior Red Cross prepared material on first aid and accident prevention.
Since that time, there has been a decided favorable change in the attitude of the Office of Indian Affairs toward federal, national, state, and local, official, and voluntary health agencies. Several worth while examples are:
- The sanitary inspectorial service rendered by the Public Health Service.