 |
History of a Dietitian |
 |
 |
 |
|
| History of a Dietitian : |
The United States Public Health Service (PHS) celebrated
its bicentennial year in 1998. Its mission is to promote
the health of the nation, understand and prevent disease,
assure safe and effective drugs and devices, deliver health
care services, and supply health expertise in time of
national emergencies. Whether serving as either Civil
Servants or Commissioned
Officers, dietitians and public health nutritionists
play an integral part in the mission of this distinguished
service.
During the late nineteenth century, records indicate that
proper nutrition and nourishment of hospitalized patients
were regulated under the direction of a hospital steward.
By 1902, preparation and food service responsibilities
were charged to pharmacists, the only professional personnel
other than the medical officers attached to the hospitals.
The importance of nutrition and dietetics in the provision
of health care quickly became recognized as a required
component of hospital care. |
 |
|
The service of dietitians and nutritionists
in the PHS dates back to the year 1919. During that year, the
first dietetic section was organized in the PHS Division of
Hospitals which operated a medical care program for American
seamen. These hospitals were primarily located in port cities
with in-patient capacities ranging from about 100 to 1,000 beds.
Ms Hallie Corsette, the first dietitian employed by the PHS,
was accorded the title Superintendent of Dietitians. She supervised
this newly created dietetic section of the Division of Hospitals.
The dietitians were placed under the organizational structure
of the medical officer in charge of a facility. Ms. Corsette
spent the majority of her time planning dietary departments
and recruiting dietitians for the hospitals. By the close of
1919, there were approximately 85 dietitians in the Division
of Hospitals; that number doubled over the next two years. During
those early years, a dietitian's duties were focused chiefly
on the purchase, preparation and delivery of food.
In 1919, the PHS was charged with the responsibility of furnishing
medical and hospital care to sick and disabled veterans of World
War I. In 1922 the Veterans Bureau was established to provide
on-going medical care to war veterans. As a result, the responsibility
for supervising many of the Public Health Service Hospitals
was transferred to the Veterans Bureau, later known as the Veterans
Administration. Over 145 PHS dietitians were transferred
to those facilities to care for disabled war veterans. The remaining
PHS dietitians were placed under the general direction of the
Office of Nursing, Division of Hospitals. Although the dietetic
section was abolished as a result of the transfers, dietitians
continued with their primary duties of food service administration
and took on the additional role of providing patient nutrition
education.
During the Second World War, PHS dietitians worked as part of
the Civil Defense Mobilization Program. They were responsible
for developing recommendations for foods, food storage, equipment
and service that could be used if communities suffered bombing
attacks.
The functions and responsibilities of the PHS expanded rapidly
during the late 1930s and the early 1940s. Likewise, the role
of dietitians within the PHS continued to expand beyond the
hospital setting as dietitians were hired by state and local
health departments. The creation of the Children's Bureau in
1912 provided states with grant-in-aid for Maternal and Child
Health, Crippled Children's Services (Title V) and Child Welfare
(Title IV). Subsequently, in 1936 Ms Marjorie M. Heseltine was
employed as the first nutrition consultant in the Children's
Bureau. Five years later, the Bureau hired a second consultant,
Ms Helen Stacey.
In 1942 the PHS established mobile field units to conduct nutrition
appraisals in selected states. A medical officer was also assigned
to work as a nutrition consultant for public health officials.
Nutrition clinics were developed in a few state and local health
departments. Today, both the Maternal
and Child Health Bureau and the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention still continue to play
a vital role in providing nutrition leadership and expertise
to the state and local health departments.
As the work of the PHS expanded and the science of public health
developed, the need for collaboration between related professionals
in the public health field became evident. With the passage
of the Public Health Service Act in 1944, a series of laws were
passed which significantly affected the nation's medical research,
training efforts and increased health services in the United
States. The expansion of the PHS required people with additional
specialized skills that could be rapidly deployed in response
to public health emergencies. The Regular Commissioned Corps
was expanded to include dietitians, nurses, veterinarians, scientists,
physical therapists, and sanitarians, and other health professionals.
The authority to commission dietitians as PHS officers was granted
on July 1, 1944. At that time, the dietetic section of the Division
of Hospitals was reestablished. Ms Marjorie Wood, the first
commissioned dietitian and the PHS Commissioned Corps' first
Chief Dietitian, headed the unit. The section was renamed the
Dietetic Branch, Office of Professional Services, and was charged
with the responsibility of developing, establishing and maintaining
dietetic standards in PHS hospitals; a major emphasis was placed
on therapeutic nutrition and teaching programs.
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
