Evening star., 1931-11-29


t.ngulShed public service and who was
IN il t4le midst OF a useful career. Shortly
before that two physicians of national
renown, who had devoted years TO
work in the interest of prolongation of human
llfe died N their early sixties Still more re-
Gently public attention has been attracted by
an apparent marked rise lately in the cancer
death rate, by Epidemic of infantiIe paralysis
and discussion as to the effect on public
health of unemployment ard economic distress
All these things raise the question: What
progress, il any, is science making in the war
against dlseasc?" Ancillary to that question is
another: "WEat is the National Government
through its public health service doing to i'm
prove the na sional health and prolong life?"
Regardless OF the condition of the bank ac-
count, or Of differences of race sex or nation
atty, the normal human being wants to live
as long as pos ible The business man who
bemoans the difficulties of today and ever and
anon declares, Il don't much care whether 1
live or die" promptly sends for a doctor-or
Two or three Of them+when actual illness
occurs. That type of person, however probably
answers questions such as those stated above
with the remark, oh We aren't living longer:
it just seems Jcng9r!"
\A/ELL, what are the facts about the public
w heaith-nct only as it is at the present
time, but as it has been during recent wears
when economic conditions were normal?
The answers to these questions carry a mes
sage OF hope and cheerfulneSs and need to be
prescribed when gloomy and wholly unfoalnded
rumors are widespread
In the first place believe it useful IN order
70 give the reader a broad view of the i'm
provement in the whole health situation as
revealed by the increase in the duration of
lie, to review briefly the figures showing the
average length of life and life expectancy
In Europe i'll the Middle Ages the average
duration of human life, based on the figures
available Tor certain cities, only about 20
70 25 years. This is the present situation in
India One hundred years ago the average
duration OF life, had r,sen to somewhere be-
tween 35 and 40 years, AMI for the next half
century there was an increase of only two or
three years
Fifty years ego in the United States life ex-
pectancy at birth was about 43 wears Now
this figure has reached approximately So wears
(m the United States) and it is believed that
the end in lengthening the expectancy of life
at birth is not yet reached
Perhaps the reader who is 81 or even AZ
years would have no cause for rejoicing at a
belief that his life is limited to So years and
SO some word OF explanation about this state
ment regarding life expectancy NAV be ad-
VlSaple The meaning is, of course that of
100 or 1000 or any number of babies born in
the United States today, the average age at
death will be probably little over SO wears
ON the bass OF Guy present mortality rates i'm
III csAotl aC4oh area II thoSe babies had been
porn IN Massachusetts, and New Hampshire in
1T09 their average expectancy of life based
upon expert calculation of that time would
nave been only 35 years The white child born
even as recently as 1911 had a life expectancy
Of less than So years
Ihat the reader at the higher age mentioned
may still further be assured Of his continuance
IN this world, set out in the following tabula-
ton the expectation of life on the basis of
mortality rates in 1923:
Age .as..4,
OF life to be