Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1912-10-03
THREE AGENCIES
FOR SAVING OF
RUMAR LIFE N
AMERICA
Newspapers, Insurance Com
panies and Federal Govern
ment Have Power, Says
Professor Fisher.
POINTS TO SWEDEN AS
AN OBJECT LESSON

indianapolis, Ind, oct 4.--Irving
Fisher, professor OF political economy
at Yale university, yesterday told dele
gates to the National conservation
congress that the newspapers the in
suranCc companies and the federal
government were the three great
agencies to which the people of the
country must look for the saving OF
human lie.
As first step In the great works OF
human conservation. Professor Fisher
urged the establishment at an AIDE
uuttc system Of collecting and dis
lributing vital statistics similar To the
system In use In Sweden.
Professor Fisher said In part:
probably the greatest hyEcnic
achievement Of any country thus far
Is that of sweden, where the dura-
ton Of life IL the longest. the mortal.
itN the least and the improvements
the most general. There alone can II
Dee said thut the chances of lite have
been improved tor all ages of life.
Infancy, middle age and old age
to-day show lower mortality In Swc-
den than In times past, while In other
countries. including the United states,
although We can boast ct some rcduc-
iiun In infant mortality. the mortality
after middle age Is growing worse ana
the innate vitality uf the people IT, In
an probability, dctcriurHting
In the United States public health
has been regarded almost exclusively
u~ "a matter of protection against
germs; but protection against germs
while effective In defending IA from
plague and other Cpidcmics at acute
diseases, il almost puw"rlcss to pre-
vent the chronic diseases of middle
ana late life.
These muladicS Brighrs disease,
heart disease, nervous brcakduwns ..
are due primarily to unhyEicnic per
sonHl habits
"Modical inspcctiohs md instruction
In schools. Hs well rs Swedish gym
nastlcs hav" aided greatly in the
muscular dcvclnpm"ntFo the citizens
of sweden Swedish hard bread has
preserved their teeth. IN" Gothcn-
burg system Is gradually weaving
them from alcohol. There has even
been n strong movement against the
use uf tobacco.
There are three great agencies a.
NllNIl wv IllINN l'llk E'I lIl' NbNluk W
human life In the future, and 1t has
hccn the object Ur the Cummittc" Of
one hUndrcd on national health. uf
which | am president, to help stir
these three agencies into activity ia
this country. Thcy are the public
press, the insurance companies and
the government.
~ few years ago, popular articles
on public health were seldom seen be-
cause the public ANA the press thought
the subject of disease unlntcrcsting
ana rcpulsiNc, To-day on the other
hand one can scarcely pick up popu-
lar magazine without finding. not
only one, bat several articles dealing
with questions Or public health.
Life Insurance companies cHn
save money by preventing deaths Just
~ fire insurance companies have
savcd money by preventing fires ana
steam boiler Insurance companies
have saved money by preventing cX-
plosIons.
I'VE need a national department Of
health or n department of Labor
which shall include In its operations
the conservation of human life,
I'VE need first of all to do what
| Sweden has done for n hundred and
fifty years namely. 10 establish pro-
per vital statistics.
"Vitnl statistics arc the bookkeeping
Of health. Al present only Il little
over half Of the population Of tho
| United States has statistics on its
| deaths
-Four years ago, M member Of
president goOscvclts conservation
commission, I cndeavorcd Ia report
on the condition OF our national VI
tallty'
81 found that out of some 1900, 900