Talk:John Shaw Billings

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[edit] Merge

It has only been proposed for a week, but this merge seems necessary, as it is a duplicate article. I will therefore perform it. Jlittlet 21:04, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Billings was NOT the Father of PHS

Billings, most certainly an important figure of early Public Health, but he should NOT be credited with being the true father of the modern day Public Health Service, now under the Department of Health & Human Services. Billings was a competing figure with Dr. John Maynard Woodworth, who deserves the lions' share of the credit for the creation of the Marine-Hospital Service and the Commissioned Corps, though he would never lived to see the creation of the Corps in 1889. In fact there is speculation that there was "bad blood" which may have lead to Woodworth's untimely demise.

Billings was appointed to a fact finding mission between 1870-1871 to evaluate what was then the "Marine Hospital Fund," which was the loosely controlled hospital system that was under the Department of Treasury. Billings found the Fund to be unacceptable and corrupt. Obviously, Billings would have been the "right man" to take over the then reorganized "Marine Hospital Service" in 1871, but he did not.

Historical accounts in Bess Furman's book as well as those of Assistant Surgeon General Williams (1950's) seem to indicate Billings as someone least likely to help the Marine-Hospital Service. Billings was instrumental in the creation of the National Health Board, which only lasted a few years, but set the foundations of what would be come part of the ever expanding role and mission of the Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service, especially with Quaranatine.

[edit] Was he *really* the father of the USPHS?

John Shaw Billings' article calls him the ""father" of the United States Public Health Service," however, this article does not further elaborate on his contribtions to that institution, nor does the article on the USPHS include mention of him. Can someone please include information on his involvement with the USPHS? Thanks. 71.65.52.189 23:41, 8 June 2007 (UTC)