The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1854-09-19

rom the Eain1urg Nevs ailosepkieal Journal ~
Influence of Occupation Upon
-: Health. - ss5g9g,
,A.curious and interesting report.has. been
prepared by Mr. Finlason, the actuary Of the:
National Debt Office, npon the subject Of sick
ness and mortality among the male members.
OF friendly societies in England and Wales, as
shown by the returns made by themtto the,
! Government Tor the five years lS46750. :. It,
appears that the proportion on the sick list, in,
the course of q year, is one in four, or 24:90
lin every hundred. The proportion seems
large, but some allowance may have to- be,
made for cases;of feigned illness and the per-
sons in question are not those who are most,
favorably @circumstanced in regard to food,
clothing, lodging, and the various conditions of
| health. Mr. Finlaisoh proceeds to divide the
members Of these societies into four classes.
II. Those who have heavy labor with exposure
to the weaLher-sucha as agricultural and other
outdoor laborers-a class in which he has
353, ,lO3 cases; 3. Those who have. heavy Ia
Dor without exposure to the weather-such as;
smiths, sawyers, scoopers, plumbers class
numbering 94,259; 3. Those who; have light
labor with exposure to the weather-such as.
shepherds, drovers, pedlars, messengers, GUS.
tom.house zoffieers-in number $500; a.
Those who have light labor without exposure
to the .weather--such as clerks, shopmen, bar.
bers, factory operatives, servants-in number
1885, 6,909. He found that persons engaged in
heavy labor, with and without exposure to the
weather, have respectively 2s04 and 1854 per
cent. of their number sick in the year: per-
sons engaged in light labor 2O.so and 2l.5s 2
in round numbers, taking census of working.
men disabled by illness, for every three whose
work is light or moderate, ,s5tLere are four of
1.-THE class whose is heavy labor. The duration
of.sickness to each person sick is, however,
!. upon an average, only ss days and 4O.s3 in
the two classes engaged in heavy labor, aud
Al days and 44,25 in the two classes engaged
might labor. The mortality is heaviest among
1.-The persons classed as eagaged in light labor;
and indoor labor shows itself less favorable to
longevity than outdoor. But the main differ.
ence in the distribution of sickness seems to
turn upon the expenditure of physical force.
This is no new thing" says Mr.. Finlaison,
| for in all ages the enervation and decrepitude
Of the bodily frame has been observed to fol-.
low prodigal waste of the mental or corpo-
real energies but it has been nowhere prev.
ously established upon recorded experience,
that the quaqtum of sickness annually fallen
to The lot Of man is in direct proportion to the
demands on his muscular power. So itwould
seem to be, however. Therefore, whatever
scientific invention of machinery to save the
expenditure of bodily strength may be devised,
its production should be hailed as one of the
greatest of blessings to the sons Of toll, and
not gnorantly contemned by the very class
wlpm in reality i ultimately benefits A study
of the following digest leads to the conclusion,
that the inventor of any engine which spares
! the physical energies diminishes the amount of
human sickness in proportion as he, by means
of his device, economies the labor of his fel-
low-creatnrcs."
The tables show that the liability to sickness
runs up to temporary maximum in the young
man, and then declines, and does not attain the
same percentage until advanced years. This
sick marinsum of earlgmanhood- effect of
a primitivesdemandzo the bodily vigor-is in
the period from 1s to 81, except in the class
engaged in outdoor heavy labor, in which it
appears to be at ID. The same percentage is
reached, ever afterwards to increase, at the age
Of 46 in the class who have indoor heavy la
bor. 81 in the case Of indoor light labor, 81
with outdoor heavy labor, and 65 with outdoor
light labor.
These last remarks relate to the proportion
Of persons sick, not: to the duration of the
sickness. The duration of sickness does not
decline in manhood, but increases with the
age. The severity Of the railway employment,
according to these tables tells upon the con.
stituton; the men, it is said, get weather.
beaten" ~ In the police there is. a marked in.
crease in the amount of sickness after 40, as
if the service broke down the men at an ear.
lier age than other occupations.
The CELESTIAL STATE. .-Old Ricketts, was:
man oflabor and had little or no time to de.
vote to speculationsto the future. He was
witbal, rather uncouth in the use of language.
One day, while engaged in stopping uplhog.
holes about his place, he was approached by a
colporteur, and presented with a tract = 8
what is all this about F. demanded Rickets.
That, sir, is a book describing the celestial
state was the reply. ~ j. -
Celestial state,' said Rickets. Where the
deuce is that s's e ,.s.z..z
'Myworthy friend, i fear that you have not
don't want to hear about any better state
than old Pennsylvania. i intend to live and
die right here, if 4 can only keep them darned
hhgs out 'asa
AN INELIGIBLE Su1TER.-An old soldier,