Evening star., 1922-07-01

1t is good business principle to
! make an inventory at regular inter-
| walls in order to find out the true
state of things. Banks and other re-
liable business concerns issue peri
odic statements as to their financial
or business condition.
This same principle of ascertaining
/ the actual state of affairs at regular
intervals is equally applicable to the
preservation of personal health.
Every individual should by means Of
a complete physical examination
make a careful inventory of his or
her physical assets or liabilities at
least once each year. Business firms
learn by means of taking stock or
from financial statements what liza
bilities they possess and thus are
prepared to meet them. So the
early recognition of health liability
enables person to take the proper
steps to arrest or cure the physical
liability discovered.
Examination Avoids Trouble.
The motorist or aviator wants to
know if there is anything wrong with
his machine or airplane. because de-
feet may cause an accident at a cri-
tical time We should in the same
spirit wish to discover any beginning
disease or other condition that may
cause a physical breakdown or serl-
Gus sickness later in life. Instances
are common of persons who are yet
young in years being. disabled by
some condition that would have been
! detected early by annual physical
examinations.
! Many diseases begin slowly or in
siduously and may not produce any
! disturbing symptoms until the cohdi-
! ton is considerably advanced. BY
1 means of a thorough physical exam
| nation at regular intervals such dis
! eases may be recognized and their
| progress checked or cured by proper
/ hygienic dietetic, medical or surgical
| treatment.
Worry Should Not Interfere.
| tuberculosis, cancer, Bright's dis
ease, diabetes. hardening of the ar
| teries and certain forms of.heart dis
| ease are examples of diseases that
! may begin unnoticed. Careful pc
riodic physical examination would de-
| tect such diseases early and allow the
, Individual to promptly begin the
! proper treatment. Objection to Pc
! times made on the ground that 1t may
| cause much unnecessary worry. espe-
| Cially If some disease Is detected. IL
diseased condition is present the
person affected should know ABOUT IT,
7 in order that corrective steps may
; promptly be taken. 1t would be just
as logical for a motorist to decline to
! have his machine overhauled or foi
| an aviator to object to inspection OF
| his airplane on the ground that the
! finding of defects would occasion
| worry or Inconvenience.
/ The practice Of annual physical ex-
/ aminations Is valuable not only Tor
/ the early detection of diseases. but 1t
! is also important as guide In the Sc
! lection of suitable employment for
i those with known defects. A person
; with defective vision, heart disease or
Bright's disease is manifestly unfit
! ted for the same type of work as one
without such handicaps.
; Annual physical examinations are
very useful, therefore in selecting
suitable employment. Industrial
. firms have found the method Of an
nual physical examinations exceed
! ingly useful in the proper placement
of employees and have noted a reduc-
E! ton Of accidents since beginning this
plan. The chief obstacle to the use
of such plan by industrial compa-
nies was the belief Of the employees
that such examinations would be. used
as basis to discharge them. AS soon
as it was made clear that the exami-
nations were simply to determine
what work they were best fitted for.