The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-02-12

W810IUQ StU0s ~. O.s y ~ ~
think~you are we'll, bat do you
know Il! Are YOU sure tha& some
obscure organic defect u net 1t
work IN you, like Z loose nut In .
motor, laying Up trouble tor the
futureis
THIS lugubrious and disturbing
question 10 addressed to you By the
0nited States public health service.
Il doe mot want to scare you, or
anything like that. but II does want
10 impress upon you the fact that
. human engine. like any other
kind, needs an overhauling once In
. while. even though Il still runs.
those little defects taken early save
much trouble later. And oil sof
this becomes increasingly peril
nent bscsus6 % W become more
sedsntary and civissd. ~ are
more and more prey TO degenera-
tive diseases, which gaia holds
upon 10 insidiously and often show
no marked symptoms until they are
well establishsd. An unimpoftsnt
toothachs gives you plsnty Of warn
ing when It arrives, but the onset
Of cancer may be painless.
III one would feel a. much con-
earn over . slight shortuess Of
breath a6 he does over . catch In
the engine Of his automobile. there
would BE- fewer middle-agsd men
and women lettering around with
old ass disssses." says . public
health ofncial.
What people ought to do. he ex-
plains. what they will learn to do
IN . few generations. II to take
time to keep ut, and have them
selves overhauled regularly, once
. year. BY 4 competent physician.
A complete physical examination
annually should become IN accspt-
ed part OF health routine. 1t 10
similar to the idea Of preventing
dental decay BY visiting . dentist
every few months to have the teeth
cleaned and repairs made IL neces-
sary. People now regard ~ . tru-
Ism the statement that such . trip
to the dentist saves money and suf-
fsripg in the long run. But they
have not learned that IN annual
physical examination 10 the same
kind Of IN investment.
The general attitude toward
health ct present 10 this: People
have learned to realize the danger
OF diseases like scarlet fever and
smallpox. Water supplies are care
fully filtered and guarded against
contamination because the danger
Of typhoid and malaria is-under-
stood. PasteuFisetion il milk 10
rapidly being added to the require
ments Of city health boards, be-
cause the chances for bacteria OF
tuberculosis and other diseases to
thrive in raw milk have bsen
proved. A. = result Of such pre-
cautions taken By local or state Of
dcials there is less infectious dis
ease than ever before.
But when it comes to preventing
heart disease. cancer, Brishts dis
SeAses AoAuGAIu6 VI Inc AILeFle8-
the maladies that slowly develoR
until they become fatalLthere is
almost nothing being done. Doc
tors are still experimenting with
cures and admit that IN the later
stages Of the chronic degenerative
diseases they are baffled. And the
average individual who knows all
about them from hearing Of the
complaints Of his friends goes bliss
fully along boasting Of his diges-
ton and his strong nerves until he
too suddenly has . we'll developed
ailment to talk about.
A study Of life tables, accord
lag to the public health service.
shows that so far ~ persons Of 40
and over are concerned, they die
1t just about the same rate as they
did half q century ago. Further
back than that figures are incom-
plete.