El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-10-30

more than $4,000, 600 OOO This mikes
mem one Of the most effective instru-
menIa1ties for the education of the
puDllc In health matters. Some of their
staIStlclans have calculated that the
| insurance companies, by the Investment
~ only one-elgntn OF percent Of their
income In the promotion Of the public
nealtn, could save enough lives to give
the companies a profit on the invest
ment of at least 100 percent.
one Of the principal difficulties con-
1IoAllng the insurance companies in re-
gard to such work is the fact that the
insurance laws OF a majority Of the
states VIII not permit it to be done
One company has established a sana-
forum for the treatment of its policy
noIQerS suffering from tubercular trou-
Dles, put 1t had to overcome an ad-
verse decision Of the insurance com
nlssloners Of the state Of New York be-
Lore II was permitted to do so. This
company has visiting nurses who go
ABOUT IN the city districts and care
IoE ped-rldden policy holders 1t dis
tributes health bulletins TO about 15-
VOO'UyO readers and its health campaign
has been successful one This com
pahy mas over 100000 policy hold
ers- The death rate among these pol
Icy holders declined to such an ex-
tent in recent years that the company
was aDle to refund to its policy
1oIQerS S25,OOO,0OO which represented
dividends paid. At the same time it
mas been able to increase by q per-
cent the amount of insurance a given
sum OF money viii buy.
Bulletins Distributed.
Some CT the bulletins distributed ov
the principal life insurance companies
are good examples of the simple and
Impressive way In which the lessons Of
sanitary progress may be cOmmunicat-
ca 70 the people at large. 1t is urged
IN some OF these bulletins that private
ph1lan thrOpy must endOW the work if q
national health crusade is to reach its
H-Tes Al
as soon as private philanthropy demon
sLrales what the investment Of money
VIII GO IN this respect, the national and
state governments viii come forward
with su1f1cinetly liberal appropriations
70 meet the needs Of the sanftarians
one or the companies expresses a Won
ueI why II IS that the philanthrODist Z
considers 1t more admirable to cure
disease than to prevent it. Another de-
clares that the attitude Of this indf-
Tidual is that Of advising mankind to /
wait until disease has made its attack [
II declares that the philanthropist /
practically says: wait until disease /
has attacked YOU I VIII then try to I
save you. have endowed q hospital /
Ior that very purpose"
Some OF the insurance companies feel o
that manual Of sanitation ought to be \
placed In every home and that the sub
1ect OF sanitation ought to be added 4
TO the three RS" in the school curri-
culums Of the country. One OF the \
principal companies now gives free
medical examination once s. year to ev-
cry policy holder who desires It, Other
companies not only give advice to their
policy holders but to all impaired ap-
pliCants for Insurance. These are told /
Of their physical condition and are
given suggestions which will aid them
to restoration IN health
Gathering Statistics.
The life insurance companies are
proving valuable aid in the gathering
q vital statistics The information
they get together while dealing with
only selected classes of people must
be very accurate. In this way the
companies are able to throw much light I
on the question OF disease in the United
States. One big company shows BY its
mortality lists that the number Of
deaths from tuberculosis occurring
among its policy holders in recent {
years has been cut in two At the same
time its figures disclose the fact that
twice as many people among its policy
holders die from cancer as did gen
Grafton ago.
Many insurance companies are en-
gagged in writing what is known as
health and accident insurance. 1t is
said that these companies are making
a great profit out of their business,
but at the same time, they are doing
much to encourage an efficient demon
stratiOn Of the public health in all parts
Of the country. One Of these cOmnanies
maintains a correspondence school Of
health Information. To this any policy
holder may write and secure such in
formation as he needs for the promo
ton of his health.
Factories Sanitary.
A great many factories and other
business establishments have installed
every known sanitary convenience for
the use Of their employees, and have
provided dining rooms where whole Z
some food may be secured at low cost
by employees. In some states these
things are required by law, in others
heir provision is purely voluntary. /
Wherever business enterprise has pro-
1ded sanitary surroundings for It's en-
oloyes it has obtained direct returns I
rom them in the increased efficiency / |
IF its working people.
Sometimes this work Is not entirely ]
-ltruisttc on the part of the business ]
lhOne company found that dust inter |
cred with the insulation of its tele-
ihOne system. Therefore it established I
system OF ventilation wherein the
resh air was pumped into the building
md washed Tor the protection Of It's
entrai office equipment from dust. OF ]
curse the employees got the benefit Of S
{ as well, and the telephone company /
Investment even II the Insulation of I 7
Is wires had not been at stake. An
ther telephone company In AIassachu-
etts established a venUlating system in j
Is buildings and Immediately found {
hat the time lost on account OF ill E
ess by telephone girls fell off one s
alf p
Some Good Advertising. S
Various organiza tions other than in
urance companies set out literature
or the education Of the public as to
he preventability CT disease Some Of
hese publications present the subject
y Illustrations In striking colors. On
ne Of them there is a pendulum Of
lock ana under It the statement that
very so seconds a life is wasted in
he United States from preventable dis
lse. On another page is the declara-
on that preventable disease and acct !
ent destroy enough lives every day to
ian two battleships and enough every
lree months to supplant the present d
)rces Of the American army and navy. u
reminds one that every year there
re more deaths from preventabIe dis nj
lse and accidents than have occurred b
uring all the wars Of the United
tates since the declaration Of indie d.
Evidence. The list of killed and in | ii
ired In the United States annually is l "
reater than the entire list of slain NJ
nd wounded on both sides in the Rus
war. 1t is estimated l IL
rat OF the pensions paid out by the
nited states government on account W
the civil war, more than $4,000, OO0,- II
% grew out Of pension claims which &