The Department of Preventive Medicine has embarked on two research programs in an attempt to discover the causes for deficient health standards in the United Stats.

One program will investigate the medical practices and personal habits of Americans, Britishers, and Scandinavians. The other--a program of student research projects--will try to determine if medical practices in the U.S. cause unnecessary disease, unnecessary disability, and untimely death.

Dr. David Rutstein, Chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine, remarked in a speech in Philadelphia that the wealthiest nation in the world is by no means the healthiest. American men and women are not as healthy as they should be and physicians don't know why, Rutstein said.

Comparative studies based on life expectancy and rate of infant mortality, Rutstein observed, indicate that the health status in the United States is not as high as in other countries, and that there are great variations within the U.S. itself.

It is important, Rutstein stated, that physicians have a completely free hand in setting health standards. There should be no financial deterrents to early diagnosis and preventive medicine.