Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1938-08-25

spend the small surplus they may
have on doctor and hospital bills and
then die later from worry on how to
manage to support their families and
pay the bills incurred.
suppose that there are people who
feel that they will never get sick or
need medical care, and so they can
not see why they should pay fees sup
porting a health association. They
may be right. Some of us slip through
life easily as far as sickness and acct
dents are concerned; but whether it
be you or 1, who can tell?
Some 200 years ago or less, fire de-
stroyed many homes as it does today.
At that time when such calamity
happened, people became beggars; all
they could do was to take staff in
hand, sling bag over their shoulders
and 60 out on roads and by-ways and
ask for aims. Then someone got the
idea to form an association for mutual
protection against fire. It succeeded
to such a degree that today nearly
everyone that possesses property car
ries fire insurance so in case of loss
they will be reimbursed by the in
surance company out of the accumu-
lated premium charges.
Only a very small percentage of
property insured against fire burns.
Many people are paying insurance
premiums year after year until they
die without ever getting anything
back, but they have the assurance
that if they should happen to have a
fire destroying their property they
shall not be left beggars from that
cause a.. . .
The same thing holds true if we
associate ourselves for the preserva-
ton of our health. Sickness or a
serious accident may befall your or
my home tomorrow. 1t may pauper-
ize us or destroy the economic secur-
ity of our families. 1t may put them
at the mercy of a world that is not
overkindly to the unfortunate.
Why not try to protect ourselves
and at the same time protect all
others that wish to act in self-protec-
ton.
If we have the will it can be done,
and 1 believe with less cost to each
individual than we now have to pay
for whatever medical service we are
now getting, patent medicines in
Guided.
Why so many of the medical pro-
fession should be unfriendly to this
movement 1 am at loss to under
stand. 1t seems to me that the pro-
fession as a whole would be greatly
aided by being assured of salaried
positions and up to date hospitals
fully equipped to work in. Their
work would be cooperative instead
of competitive, and much more time
would be left for the study of the
prevention of diseases as well as of
their cure. They would never need
to be thankful because lot of sick
ness was around but rather the other
way. 49,
Of course, the Specialization of CO.
operative disqualification and medi-
cine cannot be accomplished in a
month or year; but it can be started
on a small scale and in time it will
develop and grow until, like life and
fire insurance, no one will wish to
run his own risk.
The establishment of socialiZed
medicine could, of course, be acceler-
ated by the government if it took
it in hand and made it compulsory;
special tax against all property
could be levied for that purpose. But
why ask the government to do what
we can do better ourselves; this is
the age of cooperation.
1t seems to me that cooperation in
the preservation of the health of the
community and the assurance to our
fellow man, should sickness or other
misfortune invade his family, he shall
not be cast out on an unfriendly
world if he is willing to cooperate
with his neighbor.
If you feel that this goal is worth
while working for, contact your
neighbor, get him interested, and let
us start a clearing house for ideas
to build on.
ANTON GRAVESEN.
Askov, MINI.