Evening star., 1938-01-17
j. s. GIVES FIGURES
ON HEALTH CENSUS.
1885, 900, 900 Hours Lost
From Work and School
Each Year, Study Shows.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

BY THOMAS r. HENRY.
The first health census of the
American people has just been COM
pleted by the United States Public
Health Service and here are some OF
its findings. announced today:
Six million Americans are too sick
10 work. 60 to school or 60 outdoors
every average winter day.
A million and q half have influenza
grippe, pneumonia, tonsilitis or bad
colds. Two million and a half have
chronic diseases-tuberculosi cancer
rheumatism. heart maladies, hardening
Of the arteries and the like. A half
million are laid up by accidents. A
duarter-million, mostly children. are
sick with such things as measles and
whooping cough. About as many more
are kept in by acute diseases of the
liver and stomach and appendicitis
The other million are sick with about
everything in the medical books.
Total Of Days Lost"
Every year 100000 are sick a
week or more. About one in is OF
these illnesses is fatal. The astounding
total Of $50, 100000 days are lost from
work and school. This is an average
Of about 10 lost days year for every
body in the United States.
The census was stupendous under
taking, directed by DR.. L. r. Thomp-
son. director of the National Institute
Of Health, and financed by w. P. A
funds with hundreds of workers making
house-to-house canvasses.
The findings are based on a sample
but a very large sample. Of the
American population. The census
included 100000 families with a total
Of more than 100000 persons in
"a cities and "a rural areas in Is
States.
Scope Of Survey.
The actual canvass was made be-
tween November and March, 1886
and the intervening time has been
taken up with statistical analysis of
the results. The survey workers de-
termined who was actually sick on
the day OF the visit and what was
the matter. how many sicknesses the
family had had during the year and
their duration, the number of days
lost from work, the medical atten-
tton received, the income of the FAM
fly. the ratio of sicknesses to death,
and many other things.
In some of the smaller cities in
eiuded in the census every house was
visited.
Other findings reported today were
The average child under Is loses
about seven days year. Children
are sick often and recover quickly.
Between Is and 81 the loss is approxi-
mately nine days a year. Persons
over 65 are disabled an average of
dve weeks year.
Effect of Chronic Illnesses.
Six out of the average total of 10
lost days are due to chronic illnesses
The average victim is laid up for
1873 days-more than two and a half
times as long as the average dura ton
per case of illness from all causes.
Colds and other respiratory diseases
account for only one lost day a year
for the average person.
The amount Of illness is closely re-
lated to how much money family
has, the survey shows.
Sickness disabling for a week or
more is 81 per cent greater among
families on relief than among those
with incomes OF 5000 or more Fam
flies not on relief with incomes Of
less than $1,000 had II per cent more
disabling illnesses, those with incomes
between 81 900 and $4,000, per cent
more. and those with incomes between
$4,000 and $4,000, per cent more
Above $4,000 year 1t didn't seem
to make much difference.
Sickness Related to Relief.
The relatively enormously higher
rate for relief families was not al
together due to the fact that they
were on relief. A good many of
them, to the contrary, were on relief
because they were sick. One in 20
Of the relief family heads was unable
to work or look for work because Of
poor health.
Not only was sickness more fire.
quent among relief and low-income
families, but it was more severe than
among their more fortunate neighbors.
The average duration of disabling
chronic illness in the relief group of
oil ages was 63 per cent longer in
duration than among the s3,000-plus
families. The average person was
disabled 1l.9 days, as compared with
an average Of SO in the comfortable
income group. The relative severity
Of chronic illness in families just
above the relief level also is notable.
Those with incomes under $1,000 had
twice the volume Of disability found
in the $4,000 group. Those earning
between $1,000 and $4,000 had a 20
per cent higher total of disability.
Contrary to a popular opinion, the
survey showed. the very poor did not
get more adequate medical care than
the middle class. In the $3.OOO-plus
group no doctor was consulted in II
per cent Of the illnesses Among relief
groups 80 per cent received no med
tcal attention. Twenty-eight per cent
OF those with incomes below $1,000
received none.
Calls for Doctors.
In surveyed population of $780,
073 in eight large cities it was found
that the doctor called on an average
for nearly six times in every case of
disabling illness in the $4,000 or better
group and a little less than four
times for the same sort of case in
the relief group, in spite of the fact
that q large part of the medical care
was paid for from Federal relief
funds.
Twelve per cent of those seriously
Ill In the better-income group received
bedside nursing care. Only l per
cent among the relief population got