PROCLAMATION 6253—FEB. 21, 1991 105 STAT. 2495 United States, enriching our history and culture. The deep cultural and familial ties that were subsequently established between the United States and Portugal are reinforced today by our mutual devotion to democratic ideals and the rule of law. Joining with the United States as a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1949, Portugal has remained a steadfast ally and a valued partner in efforts to promote global security. On this occasion, as we celebrate the 200th anniversary of U.S.- Portugal relations, let us rededicate ourselves to strengthening cooperation between our two countries in promoting the ideals of peace and freedom. NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim February 21, 1991, as a day of commemoration of the 200th anniversary of U.S. -Portugal relations. I encourage all Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities in recognition of the enduring friendship between the United States and Portugal. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of February, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety- one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fifteenth. GEORGE BUSH Proclamation 6253 of February 21, 1991 National Doctors Day, 1991 By the President of the United States of America
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A Proclamation More than the application of science and technology, medicine is a special calling, and those who have chosen this vocation in order to serve their fellowman understand the tremendous responsibility it entails. Referring to the work of physicians. Dr. Elmer Hess, a former president of the American Medical Association, once wrote: "There is no greater reward in our profession than the knowledge that God has entrusted us with the physical care of His people. The Almighty has reserved for Himself the power to create life, but He has assigned to a few of us the responsibility of keeping in good repair the bodies in which this life is sustained." Accordingly, reverence for human life and individual dignity is both the hallmark of a good physician and the key to truly beneficial advances in medicine. The day-to-day work of healing conducted by physicians throughout the United States has been shaped, in large part, by great pioneers in medical research. Many of those pioneers have been Americans. Indeed, today we gratefully remember physicians such as Dr. Daniel Hale Williams and Dr. Charles Drew, who not only advanced their respective fields but also brought great honor and pride to their fellow Black Americans. We pay tribute to doctors such as Albert Sabin and Jonas Salk, whose vaccines for poliomyelitis helped to overcome one of
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