Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-08-29

/ policy. When il was learned he did
not drink liquor, he was told that he
must pay an extra premium, as 1t was
| then believed that a little whiskey or
wine was hea1tnful, and that u man
who did not drink would not live as
long ds one who did The young man
dld not think the company was right.
50 he formed d company which insured
lonly persons who did not drink This
was the United Kingdom Temperance
and General Provident Institution.
For 10 years this company insured on
ly persons who did not drink Then it
opened new department which in
sured those who drank Il little. Even
these were carefully chosen as to
health and the amount they drank.
The company was in this way able
to watch for more than SO years and
see which of their policy-holders DIED
the earlier-those who drank or those
who did not drink. They found that
lamong those who drank there We're
many more deaths in proportion than
there We're among those who did not
drink. Among the policy holders in
! the prime of life. that is, among those
between 40 and 80 years of age. the
proportionate number of deaths among
drinkers was even greater than among
those of all ages.
| The United Kingdom Temperance
| and General Provident Institution
found that out of every 100 deaths ex
pected among the drinkers, SO deaths
lactuaily occurred. while among those
who did not drink only 10 out of every
100 expected deaths occurred. The ex-
lperience of another company, the
Sceptre Life Insurance Company,
shows a better record still for the
policy holders who did not drink as
compared with drinkers. The men,
! bers of that company. however were
all chosen through religious bodies, the
company thinking that people who led
good and religious lives lived longer,
and this proved to be true from the
experience of the company.
Similar results have been obtained
| by other British societies. A Canadian
company, which recently established a
department for insuring only those
who did not drink, found, by five
years experience ending in 1909, that
the number of deaths in the new de-
partment was only a little over cne-
half of the number of the older de-
partment.
| DR.. Ekhrens of the Swedish Life In
surance Company recently furnished
evidence which agreed with that of
the English companies. He found that
drinkers under 40 years of age came .
per cent. nearer the death rate than
non drinkers at the corresponding
ages. For those over 43 he found that
the drinkers came &c per cent nearer
the expected death rate, which again
Indicates that the heaviest damage
Idone by alcohol occurs during the
years of greatest ability-at the age
from 40 to SO years.
An interesting study was made in
lGhieago i'll 1909 of all the deaths of
men of 50 years and over occurring in
the one month of April. The results
We're what were to be expected from
the experience of the insurance com
panies OF the 175 deaths of men over
60 years of age information as to their
drink habit was obtained in 152 cases.
rs did not drink; IS were moderate
drinkers; four were heavy drinkers.
| The drinkers on the average had
reached the age of SIS years, but those
who did not drink passed the three
score and 10 mark, reaching ever 72
Years. or four years more than the
drinkers. Figures for the age of IS
and over would probably have shown
la larger difference because of the
Heavier death rate in drinkers between
40 and 80. None of the heavy drink
ers had reached the age of so, but 10
who did not drink and eight moderate
drinkers had passed it.
| Alcohol on Fatal Diseases.
1
United States at least, to tell just now
many deaths are brought about, di-
rectly or Indirectly. by alcohol Es-
pecially is this true in trying to de-
termne the number of cases of deaths
from disease promoted by alcohol. In
Switzerland provision is made for
learning these facts. and the records
of that country throw some light on
the subject
| DIR. Rudolph Pfster made study of
the records of the city of Basic for the
years 1892 1906. finding the percentage
of deaths in which alcohol had been
reported by the attending physician
as one cause of death. He found that
1871 per cent of all deaths of men be-
| tween 40 and so years of age were
caused. in part at least, by alcohol
and this, at what should be the most
active period in mans life, the time
when he is most needed by his family
land community. Taking all ages be-
tween 20 and 80 he found that alcohol
was one cause. of death in one man in
Ievery 10 who died.
Another study was made by a GER
tain doctor in Sweden. from records
of 1852 deaths occurring in his own
| ii. local hnoYitnt No
case was counted as alcoholic of which
there was the slightest doubt. Of
deaths of adult men. Is in every 100
were due, directly or indirectly, to al
coholism. In middle life, between the
ages of 40 and so. 30; and between so
and 60 years of age. 25.6 out of every