Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-08-29
ALCOHOL And LENGTH OF LIFE.
Life Insurance Companies Give Valuable Sta
tistics to Its Agents and Policyholders.

Ion deaths had alcohol as one cause,
thus agreeing with other statistics we
have been Iuoting.-The Metropolitan.
The development of the life insur-
ance business has led both in this
country and in Europe to recognition
of the Importance of educating the
general public in the essentials to
health. Especially is this the case in
Germany. where workingmen's iusur-
ance has been so extensively esta5-
lished. with the result that the I'm
perial Health Bureau and allied gov
eminent institutions, and the insur-
ance societies themselves, simply as a
matter of good business administra-
ton, are doing an immense amount of
education in hygiene. Some of the
American insurance companies are I'M
dertaking similar work issuing health
bulletins and papers to their policy
holders because the better the health,
the longer the life and of course, from
the nonnpany's standpoint. the more
profitable the business, while the poll
cyholder
DR.. L. L. Fisk, medical director of
the Postal Life Assurance Company of
| New York, in a recent article. stated
that in recent years all life insur-
ane companies have Disseminated
against the steady tippler and the
periodical free drnker. We know
from the collective experience of 80
| life insurance societies extending over
80 years that accepted risks giving a
history of former intemperance show
very high rate of mortality, about SO
per cent. above the normal average,
although such risks are always criti-
| STARTER ALCOHOLIC col HID
cally examined before acceptance"
This is not purely a business mat
ter but one that concerns public health
since it indicates the extent to which
growing drink habit jeopardizes
that health. The young man has to
consider that the drink habit may
prevent his getting life insurance at
all. In Great Britain, already the
drinkers insurance, if he gets ae-
cepted. costs him more than that of
the abstainer for the latter proves
the better risk
Insurance statistics show, too, that
the death rate among drinkers is
heaviest in the prime of life. the
years when men are most needed by
their families and the community.
AS mere matter of dollars and cents.
it is wasteful performance for the
State to expend a lot of money in
raising man to maturity and then
have him cut off prematurely by pre-
ventable disease. For this one fact
needs to be emphasized-alcohol
and all the varied bodily weakness to
which the alcohol habit unquestion-
ably contributes is absolutely pre-
ventable. Not single man need
have any of that disease. He may
contract typhoid or smallpox I'M
awares. but he can absolutely avoid
the disease due to alcohol.
The present issue in Maine Is not.
| of course. the personal question of
whether one shall or shall not choose
| to drink and run the risk of incur
| ring some one of the alcohol-caused
| diseases But there is, a public ques-
| tion involved. Physicians, state and
| local boards of health the legislature.
are uniting to check and remove all
possible causes of disease as far as
the State can do. so that the individ-
ual may be protected. There are al
ways those who wilfully violate the
laws of health, but the State assumes,
nevertheless. that it is it's duty to
make such violation as difficult as
possible and save the Individual and
| the general public, If possible. from
| the consequences of his ignorance or
wilfulness. And SO there are require
| ments for the care of garbage and
| other wastes. for ensuring pure milk
| and water. for proper ventilation OF
| buildings: laws forbiddng the sale of
impure foods. requiring isolation in
the case of infectious diseases, etc.
| In the light of modern medical sci
:! ence which declares that alcohol is a
| prolific source directly or indirectly
| of disease Maine is confronted with
| a question of public health in decid-
ing what to do about the prohibftory
amendment. At present she has a
constitutional defence against alco-
| hol as a source of disease. No one
of any sound sense pretends to be-
| lieve that if the amendment is re-
! pealed, that will be the end of it, The
| way will be open then to secure by
legislative process the legalized sale
of liquor.
There is more need of protection
against alcohol than against other
sources of disease. Little of the lat
ter is promoted by great business in
terests as is the use of alcohol The
use of impure food. an experience
with smallpox does not make the VIC
tim eager to repeat the experience.
But the alcohol which causes disease
tends to create desire for more and
more of itself For these two reasons.
then-the aggressiveness of the al
eohol industry and the power of the
drink to create craving for Itself
the state needs especially to defend
its people.
Simply from the standpoint of pub
lie health, Maine ought to keep what
protection it now has against that i'll
health and shortening of life which
science ascribes to drink. To take
any action toward making the sale
of alcohol easier can only be regard
ed as backward step away from the
modern viewpoint of prevention.