The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1939-04-13
Health of Workers
Undermined by Low
Wages. Holds A.F.L.
Adequate Medical Core Not
Available For Low
Income Group

Editors Note.-This is the first of
series Of six articles on "The Wage
Earner's Stake in HEALTH" sponsored
by the Educational Service of the
Workers Education Bureau of Amer
lea, 1440 Broadway, New York, N. Y.
The articles have been carefully scru-
tinized by DR.. Michael M. Davis,
Chairman of the Committee on Re-
search in Medical Economics, for their
accuracy.
BY CONSTANCE KENT
There is a very direct connection
between health and income. Dearth
and Disease play game together and
they usually stack the deck When
either Dearth or Disease deals the
cards, their cronies-Death Debt and
Dependency-get all the breaks.
This partnership between poverty
and Disease is not new.
Seventy-five years ago the gross an
nual death rate among taxpayers in
Providence, Rhode Island, was 212
times greater among families who
paid no tax than among those who
did. In 1880, approximately 100 in
every thousand babies born alive, died
before their first birthday.
Infant Death Rate Analysed
Today, thanks to the advance in
scientific medicine and the growth of
public health activities, the infant
death-rate in many places has been
reduced to 40. Certainly baby might
we'll assume that today is the safest
time in the worlds history i'm which
to venture "out of the everywhere in
to the here" So it is, if the stork pays
proper attention to picking his fami-
lies.
In 1881, in Denver, families with in
comes of over $4,000 carried all but 8
Of every 100 babies born to them safe
ly through the perilous first year. In
families with less than $500 income,
the story was different Sixteen out
Of every 100 babies were buried be-
fore they were year old. They might
as well have been born in 1880.
tuberculosis Hits Wage Farmers
tuberculosis as lately as 1912, was
the leading cause of death in the
United States. Today it is the seventh.
But to those with low incomes it's saw
agery has not greatly lessened. For
even in 1880, the tuberculosis death
rate for mskilled laborers in 10 States
was times greater than for their
higher professional brothers.
Depression" far from dimming the
affection between Poverty and Disease,
has merely brought IT, SO to speak,
into startling "relief." All the world
can now see what previously the
United States Public Health Service
had suspected.
High Sickness Rate Among the Poor
In survey in large cities, fami-
lies on relief showed a sickness rate
so per cent higher than the rate in
comfortable" families. Members of
families with no employed wage earn
ers had sickness rate 80 per cent
higher than did families with one or
more full-time workers. And, just to
hammer home the point, families
comfortable" in 1929 but poor in
1882, had a sickness rate As per cent
higher than families whose incomes
had not dropped.
So the relations between Poverty
and Health are not cordial. In fact,
they drop in for a friendly chat with
each other about as frequently as do
Tom Girdler and Secretary Perkins.
Medical Care Lacking
The relations between Poverty and
Medical Care are approximately the
same.
During the winter of 1886, the
number Of people disabled by illness
on any one day was approximately
100000. For these persons, the aver
age amount of physicians care per
case was about 50 per cent higher for
the most prosperous than for those on
relief. This, of course, was no fault
of physicians. Physicians, like teach
ers and bricklayers and most other
people, have natural human preju-
dice in favor of eating and keeping a
roof over their heads; and they have
the usual quota of wives and children
who feel the same way. Medical care,
however much we all shrink from fac
ing the fact, has to be paid for some
how, and like every other purchasable
service, it tends to flow most freely in
the direction of those who can afford
it,
Importance of Health Care
What about those of US who, while
we can't buy many luxuries, can pay
the landlord and the grocer and most
other purveyors of necessities? Can't
we pay for this necessity of medical
care without head-on collision with
Debt, Deprivation or Charity?
You answer it. Look back over the
last ten years, even to the prosperous
20's."
Have you and all the members of
your family seen a dentist at least
twice year? THAT is, of course, pro-
fessionally; seeing him at band con-
cert doesn't count)
Have you called doctor whenever
you felt that you or your family need
ed one? Have you called him as soon
as you needed him? Have you kept
him coming as long as you needed