Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-10-20
HEALTH EDUCATION.

/ One of the benefits which is certain
to accrue to America as a result of
the war is system for safeguarding
the health of her people. In the years
| gone by we have been so busy pursl-
! ing the almighty dollar that we have
not had time to think much about the
| health of our citizens. We have spert
! large sums of money for the purpose
| of improving the quality of our fruits
! and grains, our horses, sheep. hogs
! and chickens; we have taken the time
| to experiment with the much desnised
| cactus of the desert and make it fit
| for animal consumption. But in the
matter of taking proper precautions to
protect the health of our boys and
girls so they would grow up strong
and healthy we have been negligent.
We send our children to school and
they are taught almost everything but
the vital truths of health conservation.
Their heads are crammed full of
knowledge, and in innumerable in
stances when they finish their high
school or college course they are
physical wrecks unable to go out into
The world and apply the knowledge
which they have absorbed during
many years of studious application to
their lessons In many cases school
officials are to blame for providing
poorly lighted and improperly venu-
lated school rooms. In other cases
the child may have inherited some
physical weakness. But no matter
what the cause may be, the defect
could, in most cases, have been de-
tected and corrected in early child
hood il we were as Jealous in guard
ing the health of our children as we
were about some less important mat
tiers.
That there is something radically
wrong with the habits of the Ame|-
can people may be inferred from the
recent times. Comparison of the NOR
tality statistics Of 1915 with those of
1900 show that while fifty-six chronic
diseases were responsible for half the
deaths in 1900, in 1915 the same mall
aides accounted for nearly two thirds
of the total number of deaths. I'M
these fifteen years the general death
rate fell from 17.5 to 1876 per thou
sand. In 1900 the death rate from
acute diseases was 9.5 per thousand;
in 1915, AS, a reduction of so per
cent. In the case of chronic diseases,
however the condition was the re-
verse. The mortality from chronic
diseases in 1900 was per thousand
and in 1915 81.
with a population of over one hun
dred million the United States Today
Is short of labor. We haven't suff.c-
lent men to do our fighting and our
Industrial work at the same time. Mil
lions of infants, youths and young
adults died in the previous decades
from lack of health knowledge, which
science even then possessed, SIMPLY
because the nation or state failed TO
teach 1t to the people. If this had
been done there would now be no need
for American women and children 10
take up the labor Of men.
We shudder when we think OF The
terrible slaughter now going on in
Europe. But there are 100000 Amer
lean lives sacrificed every year
700,O 900 deaths from preventabie as-
eases, but this huge death toll MAKES
no impression upon us.
Scientists have established the fact
that man is naturally long lived his
span Of life normally reaching to a
hundred years and beyond, and the
I1abors of psychologists have made
clear the principles which goVern
bilogic living, but we fail to Apply
these principles to our daily lives, sun
clinging to old practices bequeathea
to us by ages of darkness and isnor-
ance. and so rob, ourselves of at least
one half the length Of life to when
we are Ell tiled.
The country, however. is flnaits
coming to the realization that wy
health of its people must be protected
and that the time to begin Is in IT'S
infancy Then by systematic exa'nin-
atoms made at stated Intervals phys
ical defects will be revealed and can
! be corrected. in most cases. az ieast' |
| Certainly this will be a muca petter
plan than allowing our boys and girls
TO grow up with physical weaknesses
which will handicap them throhsh
life and cause premature death.