Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1914-12-10
ADSTA|NERS LIVE
LONGER, FIGURES
Of INQUIRY SHOW
Insurance Expert Tells conVen-
tion of Abnormal Mortality
Among AlcohoI-Users.

NEW YORK. Dec. 10.-"The loss of
i've hundred thousand men, as the re-
suit of the present warfare, could be
made good in less than ten years
through complete abstinence from
alcoholic beverages by all the lnhab-
itants of Russia" according to Arthur
Hunter a New York actuary. who
reported to the convention of the As
soeiation OF Life Insurance Presidents
here today some OF the results OF an
exhaustive mortality investigation
JGst completed by the life insurance
companies into 1000, 600 insured lives
In the past twenty-five years.
Mr. Hunter is chairman OF the CEN
tlal bureau of the medico-actuarial
committee, which had charge of the
three and one-half-year inquiry. The
Investigation dealt with the expert
ence of forty-three Of the leading
companies OF the United States and
Canada in a great many groups Of
insured persons supposed to have a
higher mortality than the average
among insured lives. While the fun
damental object Of the investigation
Vas to aid the companies in determln-
ing what risks in the future should be
accepted, rated up, or declined, Mr.
Bunter said that the results also could
be utilized to lengthen human life.
Taking up some of the specific re-
suits Of the investigation, Mr. Hunter
said: Nothing has been more con-
clusiyely proved than that a steady
free use of alcoholic beverages OF
occasional excesses are detrimental to
the Individual. In my Judgment, it
has also been proved beyond per-
adventure of doubt that total alb
gtinence from alcohol is of value to
humanity: it is certain that ab-
stainers live longer than persons who
use alcoholic beverages. Among the
men who admitted that they had
taken alcohol occasionally to excess
in the past, but whose habits were
considered satisfactory when they
we're insured, there were 2s9 deaths,
while there would have been only 100
had this group been made up of in
aured lives in general. The extra
mortality was, therefore over 30 per
cent, which was equivalent to re-
duction in the average life of these
men of over four years.
High Mortality Among Il. n. Men.
one of the most significant results
Of the Investigation, he said, was the
high mortality experienced among
railroad men. Among locomotive en-
ylneers the mortality was so per cent.
in sexcess Of that among the insured
as a whole, which is equivalent to
i've years reduction in the average
lifetime.
There is a general impression that
saloonSeepers do not live as long as
persons in non-hazardous occupa-
tions,'' he continued. "but it is not
generally known that most classes
.farf7 4 ia =,
manufacture or sale Of liquor have a
nigh mortality Among saloon pro-
prietors, whether they attended the
bar or not, there was an extra
mortality of 20 per cent, and the
causes of death indicated that a free
use of alcohol beverages had caused
many Of the deaths. In the fourteen
subdivisions of the trades connected
with the manufacture and sale OF
sAicobo1 there was only one class
which had a normal mortality, and
that was the distillery proprietors."
Urging a countrywide campaign 20
Instruct the women on health mat
ters, Miss NJ. E Bingeman. who $
secretary of the Tive a little longer
committee. of Rochester. N. Y. asked
the association to assume the leader
ship Of a movement to utilize the
$4,000 school buildings In the United
states for this purpose.
Miss Bingeman declared that reeeE-
experience in Rochester had proved
.he plan a success. I'VE have found
such a splendid point of advantage
from which to take a crack at the
enemy-disease-that am here
said Miss Bingeman, ito ask you TO
help place an army of several thou
sand. in this position. instead of just
saf,
gagged in Rochester
How Plan Worked in Rochester.
1.-THE Board of Education engaged
two teachers, one a doctor and one
. nurse. TO give lessons bearing di-
fectly on health and life conserva-
lion: for example, what diseases are
preventable, how to help to keep
them from the home, and also by
community effort from the com
munity,
1.-THE classes--to membership IN
Which women eighteen years old and
over are eligible-are taught in the
public schools outside of school
hours; that is, between and in
rne afternoon. Evening courses are
also to be begun. By giving these
health courses in one school after
another-or In one group of schools
after another-they will eventually
be within walking distance of every
woman in the city.
We have in the United States at
least 100000 people sick from pre-
rentable causes, largely for lack OF
health education; $4,000 doctors and
100000 trained nurses, competent TO
give instructions; 267, 600 school
buildings, most of which have some
IDLE rooms during at least so per
cent. of the possible teaching hours
is it too much to say that the
country is merely waiting to have
It's attention called to this over
whelming opportunity"