The Washington herald., 1914-07-06
surgeon PLEADS
FOR WORKINGMAN
Would Establish National In
dustrial Insurance to Pre-
vent Disease.
STRIKES ROOT OF EVIL
Public Health Officer Says Cost,
Would Be Lowered When System
Is on Preventive Basis.

In a report issued recently by the United
States Public Health Service. DIR. J. W.
Schereschewsky makes strong plea for
the establishment Of national industrial
insurance, which he considers AM eco
| nomic necessity. He points out that one
/ Of the greatest defects Of existing sys-
TENS Is the narrowness Of their scope
and in this connection he says the ma
| jority of the systems now In force are
defective In that they contemplate pro-
viding for the cost Of sickness or ply
sical disability only after these have be-
come facts.
The ordinary employe. he says. receives
the benefits Of sickness insurance only
! after the disease or disability has lasted
| for some time. In other words existing
systems of Industrial insurance fail to
recognize adequately that great prin-
cipal at the root of all our present-day
campaigns In the interest OF public
health. namely, that of prevention
Hits Root of Disease.
Too great attention has been paid to
providing the sick enploye with medical
attention after he becomes III. too little
to the prevention of the illness which
entitled him to the beneft of the insur-
ance. The basic object of Industrial in
SuTdnCe. IncTGIOTGt COQIcnQH LII. 6CncTc1-
chewsky, should be to prevent illness,
rather than to pay for the treatment Of
preventable diseases and disabilities.
One OF the chief objections urged
against compulsory Industrial insurance
has been its cost. Such insurance must
be costly so long as the principals OF
prevention is not taken into account As
soon, however, as our systems Of indus
trial insurance are placed on preven-
Of the cost, with the widespread adop-
ton Of such systems, greatly to the bene-
fit OF society atlarge
The primary object OF such insurance
would be to detect incipient defects and
diseases among workers. or to prevent
the development of diseased conditions
by proper precautionary measures. This
object will be obtained most readily by
means Of periodic physical examination
Of employees and an inspection Of their
As Aid to Hygiene.
An Industrial insurance system based
upon the preventive work resulting from
periodic physical examinations would ef-
feet to a notable degree the establishment
Of hygienic standards Of living through
out the country. The reduction in the
loss of working days per employe from
idleness throughout the year should be
considerable. Another notable result
would be the formulation Of minimm hy-
gienic standards for various industries
and the PRONUNCIATION OF uniform indus
trial legislation throughout the country.
In this way great economic gains with
diminished cost OF production would re-
suit Still another good effect Of q sys-
TEN based upon preventive methods
would be the formulation of minimum n.y.
local health authorities. as the periodic
physical examinations would reveal many
unsanitary conditions that entirely es-
cape detection by these officials under
existing systems.
The cost of Industrial insurance based
upon preventive lines should be far below
that Of a system providing benefits only
after the worker has become i'll. The re-
serve necessary for any system of indus |
trial insurance Is dependent upon the |
average frequency of illness. II by pre-
ventive measures We succeed in reducing |
this frequency, It follows that the reserve |
and the cost of insurance may be re- |
duced proportionately. after provision has |
been made for the cost Of the preventive |
work.