Medicine: Pass the Iodized Salt

Simple goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland) is one of the few diseases which might be conquered by Act of Congress. Prevalent in a wide "goiter belt" running from western New York through the Great Lakes basin and across the plains to the Rockies, this type of goiter can be almost entirely controlled by a tiny amount of iodine in table salt. But thus far, Congress has rejected a law (such as Canada has) requiring all table salt in interstate commerce to be iodized.

Last week, despairing of a legislative remedy, the U.S. Public Health Service turned to the next best thing:...