The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-06-24
Doctor D;ss;paies Traditional No
lions Of Dreaded MaIsdy in
Paper Presented at Ses-
sion Of Association
INSURANCE FOR
WORKERS URGED
Government System for Protection
of Toilers and Prevention Of
Poverty Suggested by
DR.. Warren
BY United Press.

oy OHibc1 rfcEt.
San Francisco. Cal. June 24.-Our
horror of ieprosy is an inheritance
from the middle ages and is not jnsti-
fled BY the facts This is the message
OF Dr. Douglass w Montgomery Of
San Francisco. in paper presented
this morning before the sixtysixth an
nual session OF the American Medical
association in session here. The re-
pulsiye appearance Of leprosy and the
fear OF its extreme contagion due to
misunderstanding of the nature OF
leprosy as mentioned in the Bible
have created a belief in the public
mind that leprosy is extremely con,
tagious This belief, says Dr. Mont
gomery, is not founded on fact Lep-
rosy is very slightly contagious and Is
slowly progressive disease, mucN
less dangerous to the community CT
to the individual than smallpox, tuDer-
culosis and many other diseases.
The growing economic and indus
trial Importance of public health work
was emphasized by several speakers.
DR. Sidney NJ McCurdy of Youngs-
town, o., speaking on the physical es
animation Of employees. said that the
knowledge gained by workmen regard
ing health and the prevention of dis
ease will develop new ideas regarding
the value of the body. Industrialism
is realizing The commercial value OF
the human machine and the import
ance OF caring for its working men,
Sickness insurance was advocated
by DR.. B s. Warren of the United
States public health service, as a
means Of overcoming the handicap of
poverty among wage earners. DR.
Warren showed that disease is more
prevalent among low paid workers
than among better paid and that fully
one half of the wage earning families
of the United tSates do not have an in
come sufficient to maintain healthy
standard of living As a result, these
persons either receive charity treat
ment in free hospitals and clinics, Sc
cure treatment Of doubtful value by
the use of patent medicines and quack
remedies or get no treatment at all
Al result untold numbers of work
men become permanently disabled, !
their wives become chronic nyalids |
and thousands OF their children die in |
the first year OF life or if they live,
are Handicapped by the results of dis
ease. A government system of sick !
ness insurance for working people will
increase their economic independence
as wen as their physical condition
Trades and Health.
tuberculosis is more prevalent in
some Industries than in others. Gar
ment workers are particularly subject
to this disease. Since 1910, DR.. George
M. Price of New York has examined
nearly 5000 garment workers employ
ed in that city and has found that
about two per cent of them have con
An investigation of the
conditions under which $1,000 garment
workers are employed shows that the
causes for the prevalence of tubercu
losis are insanitary home surround
ings, lack of ventilation in workshops.
position Of workers while at
work. and the low standard Of living.
DR.. Price claims that the ordinary
methods of controlling tuberculosis ]
are not sufficient to check 1t under (
these conditions. Cooperation be- |
tween the employers and the labor
unions has been undertaken in several
instances, notably the International |
Cigar Makers nunion, the Interna- ,
tional Typographical union and the
-loak, Suit, Dress and Waist indus I
ries. Dr. Price urged the establish "
nent OF state invalidity and sickness r
insurance. I
I