Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-07-10
INDUSTRIAL INSURANCE.

Norway, and other European coun-
tries. In England, following the pas
! sage of Lloyd-George's Industrial in
| surance bill two years ago, at one
stroke 100000 working men and
women. many of whom were unable to
/ pay for medical services under the old
plan. were taken out of the field OF
| private practice and were provided
with these services, largely at the ex.
pense Of the state. In Germany, gov
ornamental Industrial insurance has
been in force for a number OF years
and its scope has been gradually en-
! larged. until in some districts 50 per
cent of the people are said to be af-
fected by it's operations.
DR.. J. w. Schereschewsky OF the
United States public health service
recently read a paper on the subject
before the National Association for the
Study and Prevention Of Tuberculo-
sis. Considering the social and evolu-
tionary phases OF the question rather
than the practical and administrative
side. DR.. Scheres chewsky finds the
explanation for the development Of
industrial insurance In the gradual
growth of appreciation of the copse-
quence to and the interdependence on
each other of the individual members
OF society.
THE bitter lessons taught by the
ravages OF devastating epidemics, the
concentration OF population in cities,
the high degree of specialization in
,.sarnV TO- ~.
have all increasingly emphasized mans
dependence upon his fellow and shown
us how properly to assess the value of
the individual unit to society at large"
The efficiency OF the social unit is
conditioned more by the physical
status of the Individual than by any
other factor. Ineficiency due to i'll
health constitutes a burden to be
borne by the whole of society rather
than by the individual. This is the ad-
dition to our social concept which may
really be regarded as a new discovery.
The sickness and disability of the in
dividual is not burden which should
be borne by the individual alone, but
is rather a liability for which society
as a whole is responsible and which
for such disability are plainly the fault
Of the individual. Industrial insur-
ance is the method by which the bur
den of physical disability is equitably
distributed.
In this field, as in all others in which
it is possible to ascertain the aggre-
gate result of limited set of causes,
II is inevitable that efforts at proven
ton should at once be inaugurated.
Consequently. as soon as any system
of Industrial insurance has been in
operation long enough to acquire def
mite data as TO the cause of disease. Il
Is inevitable that systematic efforts
for the prevention of disease will fol-
low, just as systematic efforts for fire
prevention have followed the develop
ment of fire insurance. This involves,
as DR.. Schereschewsky points out, the
detection OF incipient defects and dis
eases among workers and the proven
ton of the development of diseased
conditions by proper precautionary
measures. This can be secured only
by frequent periodical examination of
employees and frequent inspection of
their environment
Not only bad shop conditions, but |
the total environment of the worker |
must be included. This means that |
the unhygienic home as well as the |
workshop must be found, |
recognized and corrected, and the en- |
tire surroundings of the individual |
subjected TO careful scrutiny. The in. |
ausuration OF such a system no matter
on what basis or exactly at what point |
The dividing line would be drawn be-
tween the insured and the uninsured.
would result in the establishment and
OF suitable hygienic stand
ards OF living for all classes. Enormous
economic gains would result through
The reduction In the loss oS working
Time, the saving in expense for medi-
cal attendance. nursing, drugs. etc L
and the largely Increased wage earn
ing capacity through increased EN-
cheney.
Labor unions and workfngmen ara
coming to realize more and more that
sound physical health is the only cant
tai which the laborer possesses, and
The belief Is growing. says The Jour
nal OF the American Medical Assooia-
lion, that II IS as much the duty OF the
state TO protect and conserve the cap
tai Of the laborer as II is to protect
he capital Of the employer When
abor unions fully realize the impor.
ance OF this fact. the workingmen of
he country VIII demand that the state
AXE suitable measures for the protec-
ion OF their health