The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-07-11
INDUSTRIAL INSURANCE
How II Makes Better Social and Ply
steal Conditions


much attention in England, Germany,
Norway and other European coun-
tries. In England, following the pas
sage of Lloyd Georges industrialin-
surance bill two years ago, at one
stroke, fourteen million working men
and women, many of whom were UNI
able to pay for medical services I'M
der the old plan, were taken out of
the field of private practice and were
provided with these services, largely
at the expense of the state. In Ger
many, governmental industrial insur-
ance has been in force for number
of years and its scope has been gradu-
ally enlarged, until, in some districts,
% per cent. of the people are said to
be affected by its operations.
Dr. ]. 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 Tubercu-
losis. Considering the social and
evolutionary phases of the question
rather than the practical and admin
istrative side. DR.. Schereschewsky
finds the explanation for the develop
ment of industrial insurance in the
gradual growth of appreciation of the
consequence to and the interdepen-
dence on each other of the individual
members of society. THE bitter les
sons taught by the ravages of devas-
tating epidemics. the concentration of
population in cities, the high degree
of specialization in manufactures and
similar conditions have all increasing
ly emphasized mans dependence up
on his fellow and shown us how prop
erly to assess the value of the indivi-
dual unit to society at large" The
efficiency of the social unit is condi-
toned more by the physical status OF
the individual than by any other one
factor. lnefficiency due to i'll health
constitutes a burden to be borne by
the whole OF society rather than by
the individual. This is the addition
W Jul oONlai NOlNtDI hlllNl may Atctl
ly DO regarded as new discovery
The sickness and disability of the in
divdual is not burden which should
be borne by the individual alone, but
is rather liability for which society,
as a whole, is responsible and which
should be borne by it, unless the
causes for such disability are plainly
the fault of the individual. Indus
trial insurance is the method by
which the burden of physical disabil-
ity is equitably distributed. In this
field, as in all others in which it is
possible to ascertain the aggregate
result of a limited set of causes, it is
inevitable that efforts at prevention
should at once be inaugurated. Con-
sequently, as soon as any system Of
| industrial insurance has been in oper-
alton long enough to acquire definite
data as to the cause OF disease, 1t is
inevitable that systematic efforts for
the prevention of disease will follow,
| just as systematic efforts for fire pre-
vention have followed the develop
ment OF fire insurance. This involv-
es, as DR.. Schereschewsky points out.
| the detection of incipient defects and
diseases among workers and the pre-
vention of the development of diseas.
ed conditions by proper precaution-
! AIRY measures. This can be secured
| only by frequent periodical examina-
ton of employees and frequent in
| spection Of their environment. Not
only bad shop conditions but the total
| environment of the worker must be
| included This means that the I'M
gienc workshop must be found,
recognized and corrected, and the en-
tire surrounding of the individual sub
iected to careful scrutiny. The inau.
guration OF such a system, no matter
on what basis or exactly at what
point the dividing line would be
| drawn between the insured and the
uninsured, would result in the estab-
lishment and maintenance of suitable
| hygienic standards of living for all
classes. Enormous economic gains
would result through the reduction in
the loss of working-time. the saving
in expenses for medical attendance.
nursing, drugs, etc. and the largely
increased wage-earning capacity
through increased efficiency.
Labor unions and workingmen are
coming to realize more and more
that sound physical health is the on
ly capital which the laborer pos
sesses. and the belief is growing says
The Journal of the American Medical
| Association. that il is as much the
duty of the state to protect and con
serve the capital of the laborer as It
is to protect the capital of the employ
or. When labor unions fully realize
the Importance of this fact, the work
ingmen of the country will demand
that the state take suitable measures
for the protection OF their health.