The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-04-19
WE uNpERvALuEouR HEALTH

There may seem to be no connection be-
tween immigration and the labor question on
ono side and disease prevention on the other,
yet Golfers finds that there is real con
nection. Certain industrial leaders have
sought to keep our gates to immigrants open
because they selfishly believe that the result
will be an influx of cheap labor to dc
work which supposedly will otherwise go TN
DONE That has happened before, but there
Is reason to believe that it has cost the
country grieSously to meet the situation in
such manner. Public opinion, therefore, is
strongly ncining to the view that immigra.
ton should either be discontinued altogether
or that there should be an effective seective
process on the foreign shore to insure the
quality, physically and mentally at least, of
the newcomers.
Inasmuch as preventable disease and pre-
ventahle accident in this country carry off
six hundred thousand people annually before
their time, and as this number is far III ex-
cess of the number estimated as required an
nuslly by industry, it is suggested that ag-
eressive measures to protect human life and
health would fully meet any, industrial
labor requirements. To be sure, all those
who thus die are not laborers, but large
percentage of them are in the working group.
Then it is estimated that ninety-six out of
every one thousand babies die in their in
fancy. This mortality. by adequate meas
uree, could be reduced to thirty eight per
thousand. Thus ninety-nine thousand ba-
useful citizens, for at least the majority of
them would become useful citizens. Besides
this, by proper treatment in their early child
hood thousands of babies that now grow up
with inferior physical or mental equipment
could be given their birthright of sound
body and sound mind. Ignorance and neg
lect are the twin enemies of infancy and the
chief source of supply for our insane and
pauper asylums.
The above. however, takes account prin-
cipally of preyentable deaths. There is an
other drains7Sn our man power which is al
most equally assrious and perhaps even more
costly. This drain, according to Golfers,
is that Constantly in the United States,
which is said to be civilized country, there
are 100000 persons so i'll as to be unfit
for work. Medical authorities, insurance
statisticiaRs, sAnd others who have examined
the problem contend that it is an attainable
thing to reduce this forty per cent" In
other words, proper public and community
health measures would release 100000, al
most a million people to perform their daily
part in our social activities. This is tI&ee
times the number of immigrants now arriving
in any one year. How much more efficient
and happier our lives would be if we were
relieved of this immense load of suffering
and expense.
And vet We have taken no account of the
reduced efficiency of those who go about
their daily tasks, but with impaired energy
and achievement. This group includes those
who Overeat, underexercise and neglect their
personal well-being, through ignorance, glut-
tony or other excess. They not only shorten
their lives by undermining their resistance
to disease, especially organic disease, but
they reduce their ability to accomplish an
average amount of work during this period
of excess. The number of persons who I'M
Willingly eat themselves into their graves
long before their time is almost beyond com
putation, for the doctors frequently give the
immediate instead of the original cause as
the fatal one. A man may die of heart dis
ease - kidney 1iror fRauhla aoon,d;yc e..
the hospital chart, when the doctor well
knows that his gluttony or other excess was
back of it all. 1t simply is not the custom
so to record it. Many a doctor gives medi-
cine when he knows that dieting would be
beneficial but hesitates to prescribe dieting
except in extreme cases, because he knows
by experience that people will not diet prop
eriy unless scared into it.
The public and the community health, and
the proper living of individuals, are vital
but neglected factors in our republic. The
industrial community particularly should be
alert to protect its citizenship by public meth
DDS of disease prevention and by educational
efforts to induce citizens to live sanely and
normally. People must be taught to take
care of themselves as a duty to society as
well as to themselves. We know far more
about this matter of public and individual
health than we put into practice. That is a
very shortsighted and unintelligent policy.
To alter it will put added years in our lives
and added money in our pockets, to say
nothing Of the increased joy of living free
from preventable suffering,