The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-12-14
WHY MEN ARE
Rejected BY
INSURANCE
COMPANIES
(By Associated Press. }

New York, Dec. 14.-Estimating
hat 100000 Americans are annual
Y rejected out of total of 1,30O,-
700 examined for life insurance, T..
:. Rittenhouse of the Equitable Life
Assurance Society urged the need
or improving the physical prepared
less of the people of the United
States.
THE average age at death of the
American people is about 40, the
medium age, As. He Is trying, with
the aid of new knowledge and in
to crowd the experiences
Of two life-times into one He is
having some success but the strain
is telling on him.
His digestive organs have been
given so many new and arduous du-
ties to which they were not trained
that they are showing signs of re-
bellion. He is seriously overstrain-
ing his heart, arteries, kidneys.
and digestion as their rapid
ly increasing death rate shows. He
could detect and head off these trou-
bles If he would go to his doctor for
an occasional examination. He is
more than well-rounded at the belt
and slightly so at the shoulders. I'm
der exertion he is short-winder, due
to lack of exercise or bad heart.
His 400 muscles are virtually all
soft and weak from lack of use. He
is designed as an erect, outdoor ami
NAL with feet and legs for service,
but he lies down by night and sits
down by day. He never walks when
he can ride. He scurries around at
his work, gets tired and nerve
worn and thinks this is physical ex-
ercise, whereas his muscles and
joints have been virtually idle And
yet he looks smooth, pink and
healthy, for the most of these siCns
of deterioration are not outwardly
visible.
"1'he evil effects of his physical
inactivity have been greatly aggra-
waited by his deadly excesses and err
rors in eating and drinking. There
is no burden too great for him to
put upon his digestive system. He
would not think of mixing bricks or
scrap iron or gravel with the fuel
for the furnace which heats his
house but he does not hesitate to
follow this plan in furnishing the
fuel for his body. He feeds his
stomach with all sorts of tasty junk,
much OF which cannot be fully di-
gested, and which results in the
trouble that comes from auto-intox-
ication. Auto-intoxication has a
for him. He seems to
think 1t s some automatic way of
getting pleasure. Slowly the fact
is sinking in that his accumulation
Of fat Is due to the excessive use of
meats, sugar, butter, sweets, cream
and other rich, fat and oily foods
minus exercise. With every pound
he gains of excess fat his chances
for a shortened life increase. He
should note the insurance records
which show that with those above
the age of 40, having fifteen to
eighty pounds overweight, the ex-
cess death rate ranges from 8 per
cent to rs per cent above the aver
age of all policy y-holders combined.
"W1th these statistical and other
facts before us, it seems reasonable
to assume that the power of our peo-
pie to resist fatigue and the physi-
cal stress of modern civilization is
rather than advancing. 1t
is probably true that when our an
cestors left the trees for the caves,
II they did, they had high mortal
ity experience until adjusted to
their new living conditions. 1t may
develop that the same will be true
of our change from physical active
lives. chiefly outdoors, to physical y
inactive lives in the caves and the
of our modern dwell
ing places. But wholly aside from
the question of declining national
surely there can be no
doubt as to the urgent need of i'm
proving the physical preparedness of
our people for the protection of the
state and of posterity."