The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1911-11-09
OUR RIGHT TO LIVE.
proloDqing Human Life the Burden Of
Public Health WGrk.

L uDllO " "a hs
There is a general biological lay
that animals live to five times the
number Of years required to attain
adult growth. For example, horse
is adult at 3 years OF age; he lives to
an average of Is years. According
to this law, all adult people should
live to be about 100 years of age. 1t
is a well-known fact that the aver
age span Of human life now falls far
short Of this standard, and this fact
in turn brings up one Of the most
important questions now before the
Nation that Of public health. The
annual loss to our own State from
preventable diseases alone is not less
than IA 900 lives. This represents
the needless deaths deaths, the
greater number of which would not
have occurred had these people been
we'll informed on even the simple
means of warding off disease and
preserving their general health and
efficiency,
1t is the usual practice to estimate
the value of the average human life
at S., 200. This is a conservative
estimate, and represents only the
productive value Of the average per-
son, and not his real or intrinsic
value to his family and friends; a
value which cannot be represented
in cold dollars and cents. But even
at the above figure, the annual loss
to our State is approximately $780,
coo, 900.
This figure for the average man is
too large to be comprehended. bur
thermore, the average man is liable
to take for granted that this is a
matter of public health, and does
not concern him as an individual.
But it does concern him as an indi-
vidual. AS matter of authentic,
if the loss of life to our State for
the past year amounted to $40. OOO,
900 among population Of two and
one-quarter millions, the average
loss to every citizen from these
needless deaths was little over $50.
A rather heavy tax for our sanitary
ignorance! Perhaps your family has
been fortunate and has not contrib
uted to this awful toll, but be sure
some one else did. While your family
may have escaped paying its part of
this loss, yet the probabilities are
that you yourself, as we'll as every
other member of your family, lost
as much, or perhaps even more, by
inefciercy-by not being and feel
ing at your best all the time. In
efficiency in the schoolroom due to
poor ventilation, improper lighting
and heating, defective eyes, adenoids
hookworms, and many other pre-
ventable diseases among children
dlol1C, SoOC ou1 ICApdy GILL uclll
vastly more than they expended on
public health. Of the people who
are Of average health at work, it is
conservative estimate that under
perfect health conditions their eff
cheney could be raised 25 per cent,
At the present time about one
tenth of the babies born die before
they reach one year of age. Approx
mately one-third of all the deaths
are deaths of small children. One
half the adult deaths are due to con-
sumption, pneumonia, and 'colds. "
The best health authorities are now
of the opinion that all deaths due to
bacteria and to other than accidents
can be prevented.
This matter of prolonging human
J life and increasing the health happi-
ness, and efficiency thereof is the
burden of public health work in our
State. In view of what has already
been said, the question now is, What
are we going to do about it? 1t
! has been well said ''That the only
reason public health has not more
men and more moneyIis that the PEG.
pie do not believe in it yet. They
think disease and ill-health are more
; or less inevitable. They still muddle
medicine and mystry, drugs and the
T.. dispensation of Providence. They
e have to be shown. Once shown, the
s result will be accomplished, and &C
); complished quickly"
: These results can be and are beine
accomplished right here in our State
and it will be the object of succeed
ing articles to show our reader
where and how such work is beine
done; and by these means we hop,
3 to show how to attain some of tn,
aims of public health.
III
4 CAN'T CURE CATARRH.
Stomach Dosing, Sprays and DOUGH
w. IN