In addition to 40 major publications, 125 processed materials were issued during the year, including bibliographies, a special series of bulletins for the elementary and secondary schools, etc. Approximately 36,000 pieces of correspondence were handled during the year. Of these, some 4,700 were letters on educational matters addressed to the White House and referred to the Office for reply. Major cooperative projects undertaken during the fiscal year included: 1. Cooperation with the Atomic Energy Commission and the Federal Civil Defense Administration in preparing a special issue of SCHOOL LIFE on the theme "Citizenship for the Atomic Age." This was issued as a supplement to volume 35, September 1953. Sixty thousand copies were printed and distributed. 2. Planning of arrangements for the selection of the 1954 Teacher of the Year in cooperation with the National Council of Chief State School Officers, McCall's Magazine, and the National School Public Relations Association. 3. Direction of the Joint Workshop of the Educational Press Association of America and the Department of Classroom Teachers of the National Education Association on improving the effectiveness of educational publications. 4. Planning with the National Education Association, the National Congress of Parents and Teachers, and the American Legion for the 1953 observance of American Education Week. 5. Planning and arranging for the 1953-54 Better Schools Campaign in cooperation with the Advertising Council and the National Citizens Commission for the Public Schools. 6. Cooperation with the National Association of Radio-Television Broadcasters, the Junior Chamber of Commerce of the United States, and the Radio Manufacturers Association in the annual Voice of Democracy contest. IX. Termination of Civilian Education Requirements Program With the close of fiscal year 1953, the functions of the Office of Education as the claimant agency for education under the Defense Production Act of 1950 came to an end. These functions, undertaken first under Executive Order 10161 of September 9, 1950, and Department of Commerce Order No. 127 of November 20, 1950; and subsequently expanded under Executive Order 10200 of January 3, 1951, and appropriate delegations from the Defense Production Administration and the National Production Authority, ultimately included full responsibility for the operation of the claimant agency program with respect to schools, libraries, museums, and higher educational institutions. A special Division of Civilian Education Requirements was established in September 1951 to carry out these responsibilities and functioned in this capacity until June 30, 1953. The operations of this program were a major factor in maintaining essential educational services throughout the country during a period of critical shortages of construction materials, equipment, and supplies for school construction, operation, and maintenance. Food and Drug Fifteenth Anniversary Year This report marks the fifteenth year of the present Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of June 25, 1938, which replaced the original "Wiley pure food law" of 1906. When the act was still in its infancy, its administration was transferred to the Federal Security Agency because its basic purpose was to promote the individual welfare of our citizens. The objectives of the Food and Drug Administration are today identical with those outlined by the President when he recommended to Congress the creation of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Appropriately-a look backward will show the progress of the law since its enactment, while a look at current problems will show unfinished tasks which remain for the years ahead. The law was a nonpolitical enactment with bipartisan support, primarily to protect the consumer's health and pocketbook, but also to foster fair competition among the regulated industries. Five years of legislative consideration had eliminated practically all disagreement regarding its various provisions. Legal authorities have praised the act as a model of technical legislation. As it stands today the law has been strengthened by both legal interpretation and legislative action. Two defects in the original language were disclosed by Supreme Court decisions, both of which led to prompt corrective amendments by the Congress. The first of these amendments, adopted by the 80th Congress, made clear that the jurisdiction of the law applies to regulated products all the way from the point of origin throughout their interstate movement and on through distribution until such products reach the ulti mate consumer. The second, adopted by the present (83d) Congress (see p. 217 of this report) established the right of inspection of all regulated products and the premises where they are manufactured, transported, or held for sale, without advance notice or permission from the owner, operator, or agent in charge. The 82d Congress enacted an amendment simplifying controls over the illegal sale of dangerous drugs. Testing and certification of insulin and specified antibiotic drugs which could not be controlled adequately by post-shipment sampling, were established by earlier amendments. The courts strengthened the law in numerous decisions reflecting the principle that a statute designed to protect the public should not be read with strained and technical construction that would defeat its purpose. Considering that it was enacted on the verge of an era of unprecedented technological change in the food, drug, and cosmetic industries change accelerated by the greatest war in world history-the 1938 law has been a remarkably adequate and effective statute. Particularly fortunate was a provision which required the filing of scientific data to establish the safety of new drugs prior to marketing. This provision anticipated unparalleled advances in chemotherapy which have virtually revolutionized medical practice. Instead of oldfashioned shotgun medication to alleviate symptoms, patients can now be provided with high-powered bullets which cure disease when properly used but which can also do great damage when misused. Manufacturers are constantly striving to improve these new drugs: every change requires an amendment to the original file and a new evaluation. The work load and the responsibility have become greater year by year. The need for the new-drug provision of the 1938 act had already been demonstrated at the time of its passage, but post-war changes in the technology of foods and cosmetics could hardly have been anticipated at that time. Would the daily consumption of new ingredients, hitherto unknown for food use, endanger the public? An entire new group of pesticides, tested only for war use under specialized conditions, became available to every food producer and handler, while the scientists were still seeking to learn more about their toxicity. Today the housewife buys "ready-to-heat" and "ready-to-eat" food, prepared mixes, and washed fresh vegetables in sealed bags. Never before has so little of the actual preparation of the family fare been done in the home kitchen. Control of its wholesomeness and quality have been relinquished to factory management and "pure food" officials. The increase in consumption of packaged and shipped food products, coupled with a 25 percent increase in the population since 1938, is bringing growing complexities in food manufacture, shipping, and storage. The known toxic preservatives in wide use at the turn of the century were quickly abandoned when the 1906 law went into effect, and their use had to be declared on the label. The current additives to foods cannot be handled so simply. Apart from provisions for the promulgation of food standards, the food law is corrective rather than preventive. It depends upon investigation, detection, and legal action after products appear on the market, and frequently after large amounts have been consumed. Cooperative efforts of industry and Government to protect the public from potentially harmful food ingredients are entirely on a voluntary basis. The situation in regard to new cosmetic ingredients is similar. The disfiguring products of the past have gone, but new, complex chemicals are being employed, sometimes without adequate tests of their safety. All such developments have increased the need for new and comprehensive studies and for facilities adequate to deal with a vast expansion in the volume of regulated products. The report that follows describes some of the activities of the Food and Drug Administration in the fiscal year 1953 to enforce the law controlling domestic products valued at $50 billion annually, and import products with an invoice value of almost $3 billion. The direct cost was 312 cents per capita-or about 1/100 of a percent of the value of the goods subject to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. On July 1, 1952, the Food and Drug Administration enforcement staff numbered 890. At the close of the fiscal year it had dropped to 862 and faced a further reduction of 52 positions because of appropriation cuts. The Food and Drug Administration will not slacken activities in protection of health. This will mean decreased coverage in the economic field, and to some extent in sanitation. Since many of the economic and sanitary violations are difficult for consumers to detect, the self-interest of the regulated industries to secure a maximum of voluntary law observance will be of increasing importance. Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ON THE FOOD FRONT Health Hazards Seizures of dangerously contaminated foods averaged 37 tons a week in 1953 and 14 manufacturers recalled foods and feeds from dealers because of hazards discovered after they were distributed. 293171-54--14 |