The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-21

l -"e 1hileu states public health SerNlce
 issues various publications, each having
 specific purpose. The annual report of me surgeon general undertakes to de-
 tall to Congress and through it to the
 citizens of the United States, what has
 been accomplished with the funds which l they have appropriated for the public
 health service, and to outline plans for the
 future The bulletins of the hygienic lab- oratory are intended for the technical | professional reader. The public health bulletins deal in more popular way Sy.h weekly health subjects The public l health reports are weekly resume of sanitary conditions throughout the world The health news attempts 10 present to ! the busy reader through the medium of the newspapers, short, pfthy articles on personal hygiene and public sanitation The public health service believes that the only way to affect permanent sanitary betterment throughout the United States IS by the medication of the sanitary hab- It on the American peopie. This is not only practical and economical but it is also In keeping with the basic principles upon Which our form of government rests Ine following issue of the public hee.th
 bulletins, report upon the health of garment workers. will give a splendid I iuea or the great service and value of this department and the good it can effect
 through it's direct method of reaching the people.
 It Will be noted that the style is par ticuiarly clear and simple and not in any way too scientific to be above the heads
 ot any ordinary newspaper reacer.
 IHHEE THOUSAND WORKERS E?- AHMED.
 Two thousand male workers and 1000 female workers volunteered for careful phNsical examination by officers of the uhlted States public health service Only 1 apout per cent of the total number ex- am.ned were found free rom defect or olsease there being recorded 13457 de- rects Of all kinds of which 9451 were in maie, 5sl6 in female, or an average of
 4.Sb defects and diseases to each individ- ual examined While not all of these were serious defects many of the condi- icns noted exercised deleterious effect up-
 on the individual. An interesting feature or the report is that there were discov.
 cred no vocational disease peculiar to the garment trades but this sedentarv indus
 try was shown to intensity the bad ef-
 fects upon health and efficiency of cer-
 tain defects and diseases
 PREVALENCE OF TUBERCULOSIS Among male the rate of prevalence of tuberculosis was found to be 10 times that Ill the United States army and three
 t.mes the army rate among females The disease was most prevalent among the lowest paid class of workers
 DEFECTIVE VISION COMMON. Apart from tuberculosis, the most com
 mon defects and diseases no:ed among
 the garment workers were defective wis.
 lon, 69 per cent; faulty posture, 50 per cent or males; chronic nose and throat anection, 26.2 per cent; defective teeth. 25 per cent; pyorrhea alveolaris. 20 per
 cent; weak and flat feet, 2e per cent: chronic constipation, 237 per cent; hyper
 tiophled tonsils, 153 per cent; defective
 nearing, 10 per cent; and nervous affec-
 tlons, 1.75 per cent. Only 1111 Der cent or those with subnorma eyesight wore
 glasses. and but 235 per cent of these
 nau glasses which fully corrected the defects.
 FAULTY POSTURES
 The report which the United States
 pubic health service is just issuing
 shows that faulty pastures were very
 common among the garment workers Ihe erect of previous military training received by foreign born garment workers in European armies or the
 voluntary physical training in other workers were marked in preventing
 the formation of poor postural habits Ine conclusion reached by the in- Vestlgators is that a large part Of
 the defects and diseases of garment workers arise from ignorance or neg feet of personal hygiene. A proper re-
 gard or these principles on the part or the workers would go far in nulli- lying the bad effects of the sedentary indoor occupation upon the health" In this connection the recommendation is made that the education of the work
 CTS in personal hygiene, especially the correction of visual defects, the forma- ton or correct postural habits and at
 tention to oral hygiene. will do much to correct this condition The report points out the necessity for better in struction of school children in per-
 sonal hygiene and the necessity for