The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-09-22
RAYMOND W. PULLMAN.

RAYMOND W. PULLMAN.
Times Washington Bure04, No. 704
Metropolitan Bank Bvtlding.
The danger OF wrecks on railroads.
steamships. electric ears and other
common carriers
Physical Tests may soon be great
for Safety. ly reduced II IA
vorable action Is
taken on q plan which Is now beins
considered BY the government 3
health authorities and which calls for
annual physical examinations OF all
railway engineers, shir pilots. motor
men and perhaps chauffeurs who work
for any company engaged In the
transportation OF passengers In inter-
state traflc.
This proposed annual examination
will include tests for defective eye
sight, defective hearing, mental dis
eases and organic heart trouble The
holding OF yearly physical tests OF
every man who runs train or steam
ship or electric car and who IL often
responsible for the safety OF thou
sands Of lives each day will, 1t Is be-
lieved, bring to light one OF the prin'
cipal causes Of wrecks. Ohicers OF
the United States public health SER
vice believe that physical unfitness IL
responsible for more wrecks than
most people realize, particularly in
the disasters caused by engineers run
ming heedlessly past signals.
\ 1t will never be known how many
wrecks have been caused by color
blindness. This peculiar defect In the
sense Of sight Is known to exist In
many people who little suspect that
they are affected Reds. green's and
browns look almost alike to people
who are color blind, and health OFF,
GERS point out that 1t Is obvious that
an engineer so affected might make
many mistakes every day In passing
signals which are usually shown by
! red and green lights. At the present
I time there is no general law which
compels engineers to pass sight tests
of any kind, although steamship pilots
have been required for q number OF
years, under the navigation laws. to
undergo yearly examinations to deter
mine their vision and color sense.
Tests Of hearing. public health ON.
GERS claim, should also be held at reg
ular periods, for the detection Of I'M
usual sounds il considered most I'M
portant In guiding a man who ham
dies either q vessel or railroad train.
A test for organic heart trouble will
also be included in the proposed en-
gineers-pilots examination, on the the
DRY that men who are known to sur-
fer from heart disease should not DO
allowed TO run a railroad train or TO
pilot q vessel. There have been cases
on record Of an engineer dying from
heart trouble with his hand on the
throttle OF q speeding steam engine
and sitting In his position for q con-
siderable period Of time before the
fireman on the other side of the en-
CINE realized that death had como 70
his workmste.
Mental troubles are also counted as
possible cause of many wrecks, ac-
cording to information which has
come to public health officers in a pre-
liminary survey OF the information
which 10 at hand. The mental test
will include an examination for pare
] sis, which IL loss OF power less
marked than that to which the term
paralysis is applied, an examination
for alcoholism and also for epilepsy.
1t will interest many people to know
that the public health service now
classes alcoholism as q mental dis
ease, which endangers q mans health
! whether he be only q moderate drink.
/ er who must have q small portion OF
Intoxicating liquor each day, or q
heavy drinker who may approach be-
| ing q drunkard.
A law to provide q mental examina-
ton for paresis IL considered as i'm
portant by the public health oflcers
as the sight and hearing tests. Many
men approach stages of paresis when
they are not themselves. and yet when