Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-18
WASTE Of HUMAN
LIFE ENORMOUS
Yale Scientist Says 100000
Persons viii Die Within Year
of tuberculosis
URGES GOVERNMENT AID
Believes That a Concerted Cam
paign Will Save Thou
sands from Death
URGES GOVERNMENT AID
Especial to The Herald

NEW YORK. Oct. 17.-That there
are 1900 900 persons sick in this coun-
try at the present time; that 100000
will die within the year; that 100000
homes, or 25,000,OOO people, quarter
of our countrys population, care more
or less wretched because of sickness
or death: that one out of every twelve
people living today will die from tuber-
culosis-these are some of the state
ments made by Professor j. Pease
Norton of Yale in the first issue of
the Popular Insurance Magazine.
He cites these cold and bare facts,
not to alarm, but to stir the public to
action that will compel the federal
government to protect human life
against disease. He points out that
the department of agriculture spends
S7,000,O00 a year on plant health and
animal health that it saves hogs
from cholera and elm trees from
beetles, but does not protect human
lives from disease.
LIFE WASTE UNCHECKED
Every domestic animal of the farm
has a better chance to live because OF
the great work of the department Of
agriculture in the past ten years at a
cost Of $5O000,000, but, DR.. Norton
points out, 100000 of the people now
living in this country will be carried
off bv diseases of the heart or kidneys,
100000 will perish from pneumonia,
and within a decade 100000 babies
will die before they reach the age OF
two years. DR.. Norton adds:
"And yet this number could prob
ably be decreased by as much as one
half. But nothing is done.
"Of all the grievous wastes of ma
tions. death, war, disease, accidents,
vice, crime fire and bad government,
bv all odds the heaviest burden to
the Individual and to society as
whole is caused by the life wastes.
"The life wastes are the measures
of the suffering caused by preventapIe
death, preventable disease and pre-
ventable accidents. In comparison
with the life wastes all other wastes
of nations pale into insignificance."
HIGH COST OF INSURANCE
It is because of this unchecked life
waste, DR.. Norton shows, that the cost
of life insurance is so high. He says:
'If the cost of insurance could be re-
duced to one-half the present rates by
preventing the spread of disease, by
preventing needless death, and by pre-
venting needless accidents to a greater
extent than at present-and most com
petent experts have testified that this
is possible-the policy holders could
buy with the same premiums twice as
much insurance.
"Such a reduction in rates would be
followed by an extension Of insurance
in all directions on scale almost
beyond our present comprehension.
For insurance and public health or
ganizations are society's chief weapons
against the life wastes.
LEAGUE OF POLICY HOLDERS
To effect, by concerted action, the
saving of lives and the consequent
reduction in the cost of insurance, DR..
Norton has formed a League Of the
Policy Holders Of America to wage
warfare against the preventable
wastes of death, disease, accidents,
fire and crime. It's headquarters are
at "a West Twenty street, New
York. DR.. Norton says:
Because the government is not ef-
ficient in prevention OF these wastes,
the policy holders of America are
obliged to pay year after year higher
premiums than they would under an
efficient health organization.
more than a majority of all voters
are policy holders. All that the policy
holders need to do is to make their
wishes known to their political repre-
sentatives."
With the watchword, prevention,
not remedy" DR.. Norton plans to or
ganize the policy holders in a great
campaign that will not only help
themselves financially by reducing the
cost of insurance, but will at the same
time do a mighty good to the nation
in gaining for all longer and happier
lives.