The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-02-10
THE NATIONAL HEALTH
by FREDERIC ,. HAsKIN.

count OF the economical policy OF
Congress at present.
With AL these agencies concen.
trated under one head. with each OF
them working In proper cooperation
with the others, the same money and
the same effort now expended would
yield much ereater returns In reduced
mortality and increased longevity. IL
WAS to foster the idea OF such 4 con-
sclidation OF health agencies that the
committee OF one hundred on national
health was created. This organiza-
ton nas been active TO such degree
that II is believed Its recommended
items. which have the approval OF
President Taft. viii be enacted int
law before. the present session OF
Congress adtourns. This committee
has over six thousand names on its
mailing list. and IL has proved a great
forre In the education of public sem
timent la favor Of proper health
measures.
One scarcely realizes how much is
done and how much Ii expended In
the interest of public health. The
National Association for the Study
and Prevention of Tuberculosis has
gathered the financial and educational
statistics al the Mathematics crusade
against the white plague. and finds
that during the year of 1903 the va
rions agencies Fighting the disease
spent 81, l2A, s21~5o In the easaPaigfs~
ever ten million pieces of itera-
tire were circulated and 1892 pa
tients were treated for tuberculosis.
aaxty-one thousand of the patients
were treated at dispensaries. New
rork takes first rank In the effort
TO wipe out this disease, Pennsylvania
second, Massachusetts, third, and iili-
ncis, Maryland, New Jersey, Cali
fornia, Colorado. Connecticat and
Ohio in their order.
Recent studies of the death rate
from various ailments reveal start.
ling conditions. They show that
atty fer everwork. white the death
rate from contagious diseases has
dropped 20 per cent. since fsSe. that
from diseases Of the kidneys, heart
and brain has Increased So per cent.
In the same period. These figares tell
OF the tax. Of hard work and high
living. kidney diseases. spfinging
from incorporate eating and drink
ing and from hard work. now show
a death rate that has increased IL
per cent. since 1859. There are -
Der cent. more fatalities from apo
piexy to-day than there were thirty
wears ago. and ~ per cent. more
/ deaths from heart disease. Mean
while All contagious diseases are
showing rapidly diminishing death
/ rate.
il In SHOWN by mortality tables
that death comes far more frequently
among the poor than among tne
! rich. insurance figures Of Industrial
companies demonstrate that the Death
rate among the poor Is from 50 TO
| 30 per cent. greater than among the
/ wrtf-to-da. In the nnsanitaTy dis
! trtcts OF Glasgow and Paris the death
ra,e IN doublG that or the better sec
/ ssons. The effect OF . campaign OF
education on = eity's mortality is
xhown by the fact that since New
York undertook the Improvement OF
| conditions in health matters. 1t mas
redaced its death rate TO the lowest
| point on record
The COMMITTEES III one hundred on
| national health is seeking TO have all
I life insurance companies JOIN IN
campaign In favor OF disease preven-
tton. Or. Irving Fisher. ef Yale. pres
/ tdent OF this committee. declares that
the investment of a fraction OF one
per cent on the policies carried IN an
educational propaganda VIII SO
,enrfhen tho average life as to make
{ 4 commercially profitable to the In
suranre companies themselves. to say
| nothing or the vast good that Will
accrue TO the nation at large. He
| thinks that by a proper co-ordtnation
/ Of all the health interests OF the ma
ton. headed with . magnificent con-
| solidated health bureau. such an on
! slaurht can be made upon the strong
holds OF disease a. to give the ave-
rrre American a new lease on life
| equivalent to one-third OF his present
allotted years.
To-morroAr--Modei License League.