Omaha daily bee., 1910-09-11

people In 1890 the average American lived
81 years In 1900 his lease on NE had
Increased TO 252 years At that ratio ~
increase the span OF life would be doubled
IN 100 years. In Austria and spain where
Ignorance Is the rule among the masses
the death rate Is nearly double what 1t n
IN the United states and Denmark I'm
Hungary another country Of ignorant
masses. Il Is far greater than In sngland
or In Sweden or Norway The average
American lives nearly twice as long NJ
the average inhabitant " India
We commonly think tina, people IN the
days OF our grandfathers and great-grand-
fathers lived longer than we Of this hustllng
era, but vital statistics show this SUPPOSE
ton to be the very opposite OF the facts.
In the middle OF the seventeenth century
there was only ono person out OF each 100
in London who had reached his seventy
sixth year. In the middle OF the eighteenth
century there were four out OF each 100.
and in the middle OF the nineteenth century
eleven out Of every 100 reached that age. In
a single quarter of a century London cut
its death rate in two and increased the
span of the average life full 80 per cent.
Throughout the civilized world the length
Of human life has practically doubled In
$50 years. And yet sanitarians and other
students OF public health conditions declare
that America is barely starting through the
open door of opportunity When one hears
the progressive medical man declare that
10000 American lives could be saved every
year IL the nation at large would only heed
the lessons taught by preventive medicine.
he is inclined to be skeptical But n he
will consider what this science Of preventive
medicine already has done and reflect how
much more 1t is doing today in communities
where It is best applied. he will conclude
that the man who seemed to be visionary
dreamer is after all conservative. Accord
ing to Insurance statistics the mortality
rate among industrial policy holders is from
SO to 80 per cent higher than that which
obtains among the well-to-do. It is mainly
difference in sanitary surroundings,
The whole nation reaps a vast ecouomic
gain, aggregating billions of dollars for
every year that is added to the average life.
| Surprising that only 100000 of our popu-
lation are breadwlnners, and that the net
earning power Of each of them is 500 a
year, that one year of added life is worth
50, 900 100000 to the nation. When we think
of adding five years to the average life Il
means growth in economic wealth suf-
flcient to replace all our railroad invest
ments or to substitute all our bank de-
posits.
But IL the nation as a whole is the gamer
in this direction, not less so are the nsur.
| ance companies. Insurance rates are made
upon the basis Of the expectation of human
| life. The tables of this expectation are
prepared from the experience Of years, gone
by. Naturally, with the death rate con.
stantly diminishing, and with the necessity
Of basing insurance premiums on past ex.
perience rather than upon present condi
I lions, the expectation rates are Away,
higher than those in realization. Conse
quently, when the mass of insured person.
do not die as soon as the expectation tables
say they should, the insurance companie!
| reap corresponding reward.
So important is this as factor of profit
in the insurance world that one of the prob
abilities of the future is that all insurance
companies will pool their interests and ere
ate big fund for the financing of a nation
wide campaign in behalf of the publ
health. Already one of the big companie
has established a welfare system, and ha
arranged for a campaign Of education
through it's 1900 agents scattered through