ORIGINAL
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ADDRESS
By
C, Everett Koop. M.D., Sc.D.
SURGEON GENERAL
OF THE
U.S, PuBLic HEALTH SERVICE
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

PRESENTED AT THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE
WorLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
WASHINGTON, D.C.

OcToBer 29, 1988
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(GREETINGS TO HOSTS, GUESTS, FRIENDS, ETC.)

IT IS A GENUINE HONOR FOR ME TO BE HERE THIS EVENING AND TO
JOIN YOU IN OFFERING CONGRATULATIONS AND APPRECIATION TO THE
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ON THE OCCASION OF ITS 4OTH
ANNIVERSARY.

I LOOK OUT ON THIS DISTINGUISHED AUDIENCE AND I KNOW THAT
YOU ARE HERE NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF THE OFFICIAL NATURE OF THIS
OCCASION -- THAT GOES WITHOUT SAYING -- BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT YOU
AND I ARE HERE BECAUSE WE BOTH SHARE A DEEP AFFECTION FOR W.H.0,
AS AN ORGANIZATION ... FOR THE PEOPLE WHO OPERATE ITS MANY
PROGRAMS ... AND ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE THOUSANDS OF HUMANE AND
COMPASSIONATE PROFESSIONALS WHO LABOR EVERY DAY IN THE TOWNS AND
VILLAGES AND TINY SETTLEMENTS THAT DOT OUR GLOBE.
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AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, I SPENT A HALF-CENTURY OF MY OWN

PROFESSIONAL LIFE AS A PEDIATRIC SURGEON, HEALING AND REPAIRING
THE TRAUMA AND THE DAMAGE THAT CAN OCCUR IN NEWBORN INFANTS AND
LITTLE CHILDREN.

I WAS ONE OF A FEW INDIVIDUALS WHO TOOK UP THE SPECIALTY OF
PEDIATRIC SURGERY WHEN IT WAS A NEW IDEA, AND NOW, AS I LOOK
BACK ON THE EXPERIENCE, I AM VERY HAPPY THAT I DID.

BUT EVEN AS I WAS SO DEEPLY ENGAGED IN PEDIATRIC SURGERY, |
WAS ALSO PAINFULLY AWARE OF THE LIMITED CONTRIBUTION I AND MY
COLLEAGUES WERE MAKING TO THE ALLEVIATION OF SICKNESS AND
SUFFERING AMONG CHILDREN -- NOT ONLY AMONG THE CHILDREN OF OUR
OWN COUNTRY BUT OF CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD.
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MANY YEARS BEFORE MY APPOINTMENT AS SURGEON GENERAL I OFTEN

TRAVELED TO OTHER COUNTRIES AND OTHER CONTINENTS TO MAKE SOME
CONTRIBUTION -- HOWEVER SMALL -- TO THE HEALTH OF CHILDREN.

I HOPE IT MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THOSE CHILDREN
WHOM I CARED FOR DURING THOSE BRIEF INTERVALS. BUT I DO KNOW
THOSE EXPERIENCES MADE A VERY GREAT DIFFERENCE IN MY OWN LIFE,

FOR ONE THING, IT MADE ME A TRUE BELIEVER IN THE NEED FOR
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ... THE NEED TO MULTIPLY A THOUSAND-
FOLD THE KIND OF EFFORT THAT I AND MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES WERE
CONTRIBUTING ON AN INDIVIDUAL AND INFORMAL BASIS.
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IT ALSO MADE ME A TRUE BELIEVER IN THE NEED TO DEVELOP

EXCELLENT HEALTH PROFESSIONALS WITHIN EVERY NATION AND EVERY
SOCIETY.

AND I’M STILL A TRUE BELIEVER. AND, BY YOUR PRESENCE HERE
THIS EVENING, I AM SURE YOU ARE ALL TRUE BELIEVERS AS WELL.

WE BELIEVE IN THE NEED FOR EACH OF US -- FOR EACH OF OUR OWN
COUNTRIES -- TO BE FULLY RESPONSIVE AND RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
HEALTH OF OUR OWN PEOPLE.

THAT CAN BE AN EXPENSIVE COMMITMENT ... IT CAN DRAW HEAVILY
UPON OUR BEST AVAILABLE HUMAN AND MATERIAL RESOURCES.
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BUT WE KNOW THAT IF WE TRY TO SKIMP OR -- WORSE YET -- IF WE

TRY TQ AVOID SUCH A COMMITMENT, THE RESULT CAN BE A WORSENING OF
THE HEALTH STATUS OF OUR OWN PEOPLE AND AN EVEN HEAVIER BURDEN OF
RESPONSE FOR AN EVEN LONGER TERM,

SO WE KNOW AND WE BELIEVE IN THE PRIMARY ROLE OF NATIONAL
GOVERNMENTS TO BE THE GUARDIANS OF THE HEALTH OF THEIR OWN
PEOPLES.

BUT NO DISEASE WILL HONOR NATIONAL BOUNDARIES. IN CASE WE
HAD FORGOTTEN THAT FACT, THE EPIDEMIC OF AIDS HAS BEEN A VERY
GRIM REMINDER,
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AND SO EACH OF US -- REGARDLESS OF OUR LEVEL OF NATIONAL

DEVELOPMENT -- EACH OF US HAS BECOME AN ACTIVE, WORKING MEMBER OF
THE WORLD HEALTH COMMUNITY FOR EVERYBODY'S SAKE ... AS WELL AS
FOR OUR OWN SAKE.

WE KNOW THAT’S RIGHT AND WE KNOW IT WORKS. AND WE'VE KNOW
IT FOR 40 YEARS, SINCE THE DAY THAT IDEA BECAME A REALITY WITH
THE FORMATION OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION.

ONE WORLD WAR HAD JUST ENDED, THE SECOND WORLD WAR. BUT
ANOTHER AND QUITE DIFFERENT KIND OF “WORLD WAR” WAS JUST
BEGINNING -- A "WORLD WAR” AGAINST HUNGER AND MALNUTRITION,
AGAINST IGNORANCE AND DISEASE, AGAINST HATRED AND POVERTY, A WAR
AGAINST HOPELESSNESS, A WAR AGAINST ALL THOSE FORCES THAT HAVE
RAVAGED AND DIMINISHED HUMANITY THROUGHOUT HISTORY.
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IT'S NOT BEEN AN EASY WAR TO WAGE. BUT I BELIEVE THE HUMAN

RACE IS WINNING. AND ONE CLEAR BIT OF EVIDENCE OF THAT FACT IS
THE CONTINUED EXISTENCE AND EXPANDING EFFECTIVENESS OF THE WORLD
HEALTH ORGANIZATION.

W.H.O. HAS BEEN OF IMMEASURABLE HELP IN IMPROVING THE
ORGANIZATION AND DELIVERY OF APPROPRIATE AND TIMELY HEALTH
SERVICES IN COUNTRIES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD,

W.H.O. HAS BEEN A MAJOR FACTOR IN REDUCING THE TOLL OF
MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY FROM COMMUNICABLE DISEASE ...
PARTICULARLY MALARIA AND DIARRHEAL DISEASE ... AND ALL THE
DISEASES THAT CAN BE PREVENTED BY VACCINATION,
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THE DEATH TOLL AMONG CHILDREN IS STILL TOO HIGH, BUT THE

RATE HAS BEEN DECLINING STEADILY, THANKS TO A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS
SUPPORTED BY THE W.H.0.

TODAY, MORE PARENTS AND FAMILIES DARE TO HAVE GREATER HOPES
FOR THEIR CHILDREN THEN EVER BEFORE.

AND OVER THE PAST 40 YEARS, THE LIFE EXPECTANCY WORLDWIDE OF
THE AVERAGE PERSON HAS GONE UP FROM 41 YEARS OF AGE TO 6] YEARS
OF AGE. IN OTHER WORDS, MOST SOCIETIES ARE NOW ABLE TO COUNT ON

20 MORE YEARS OF PRODUCTIVE LIFE FROM ITS MOST EXPERIENCED AND
MOST PRODUCTIVE ADULT CITIZENS.
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THAT FACT ALONE HAS PROBABLY HAD MORE INFLUENCE ON MODERN

HUMAN HISTORY THAN ALMOST ANY OTHER I KNOW,

IS TOTAL VICTORY IN SIGHT? NO, I’M AFRAID NOT. THIS IS THE
EIRST 40-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, I
CERTAINLY HOPE THERE WILL BE MANY OTHER SIMILAR ANNIVERSARIES ON
INTO THE NEXT AND SUBSEQUENT CENTURIES, BECAUSE THERE IS STILL
MUCH WORK TO BE DONE THAT WE KNOW ABOUT ... AND MUCH WORK TO BE
DONE THAT HAS NOT YET EVEN CROSSED OUR MINDS.

WE WANT “HEALTH FOR ALL BY THE YEAR 2000,” AND, AGAIN, EACH
NATION HAS DEFINED FOR ITSELF JUST WHAT THAT PHRASE CAN MEAN,
BUT ONE THING IT DOES NOT MEAN IS “TOTAL, ULTIMATE HEALTH FOR
ALL.” IT WOULD BE WODNERFUL IF WE COULD ACHIEVE THAT OVER THE
NEXT 11 YEARS. BUT WE KNOW WE CAN’T.
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YET, HERE AGAIN, W.H.O. IS THE PLACE WITHIN WHICH -- AND

THROUGH WHICH -- WE CAN ALL LEARN FROM EACH OTHER AND, OVER TIME,
BEGIN TO LIFT ALL OUR LEVELS OF HEALTH DEVELOPMENT TO A CERTAIN
DEGREE OF CLOSE COMPARABILITY.

THE HEALTH OF NO INDIVIDUAL SHOULD BE IN PERIL ~~ ANYWHERE
IN THE WORLD -- MERELY BECAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT OF HIS OR HER
PLACE OF BIRTH. THAT’S THE LONG-TERM GOAL WE ALL SHARE, I KNOW,

BUT FOR THE NEAR TERM -- AND AS A WAY OF REACHING THAT LONG-
TERM GOAL -- WE ARE ALL PURSUING OUR GOALS FOR “HEALTH FOR ALL BY
THE YEAR 2000.”
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THIRTY YEARS AGO, ON THE OCCASION OF THE 1OTH ANNIVERSARY OF

W.H.O., THE THEN-DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF W.H.O., DR. MARCOLINO CANDAU
OF BRAZIL, SAID THAT HE FELT HIS “CONSTANT OPTIMISM” IN W.H.0.
HAD BEEN VINDICATED AND HIS “CONFIDENCE IN THE ORGANIZATION’S
DESTINY” HAD BEEN REINFORCED.

"THE INCREASING DESIRE. ON THE PART OF THE MEMBER STATES, ”
SAID DR. CANDAU, “TO COOPERATE IN THE ORGANIZATION’S ACTIVITIES
IS YET ANOTHER SIGN OF CONFIDENCE.

“IF THEY HAD NO FAITH IN THE ORGANIZATION’S FUTURE, THEY
WOULD NOT COOPERATE WITH SUCH WHOLEHEARTEDNESS IN ITS
ACTIVITIES.”
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THAT WAS WRITTEN 30 YEARS AGO. IT COULD JUST AS WELL HAVE

BEEN WRITTEN TODAY.

AND NOW, LET ME AGAIN THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING HERE THIS
EVENING AND FOR. YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR ONE OF THE GREATEST
INSTRUMENTS WE HAVE FOR PRESERVING AND ENRICHING HUMAN LIFE ON
THIS PLANET: THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION.

THANK YOU,
HHH # #