The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-08-25
FIGURES REFLECT
HEALTH PROGRESS
Persons of All Ages Urged
to Check=Up on Their
General Condition

In times of war the preservation
of personal health is so important
that William G. yelling, Director of
the Bureau Of Vital Statistics, today
in the weekly broadcast of the State
Department of Health, urged all of
his listeners, regardless of age, to
have check-up on their general
condition since such a precaution
may save the already overWorked
physicians many unnecessary calls
at a later date. Mr.. yelling said
that a periodic examination is
good investment at all ages, and es-
pecially so after forty years of age.
He cited statistics TO show that the
health problems of the future will
be the disease of an aging popula-
ton, and the treatment of this.
known as geriatrics, starts with an
annual physical examination.
The major problems of health to-
day are much different than those
of twenty-five years ago. Heart dis
ease which causes about 5000 deaths
each year in Connecticut, is the
leading cause of death. One of the
disturbing features which the rec
ords reveal about this disease is the
fact that probably many of these
deaths could have been at least
postponed by a periodic health and
physical examination. Study of the
deaths from heart disease show that
there is an apparent increase of
deaths between SO and 60 years of
age.
The second leading cause of death
In Connecticut is cancer. AS in
heart disease, early discovery of the
condition, is important. since it has
been estimated that half of the
cancer deaths could have been
avoided If treated early in the
course of the disease.
Some of the diseases which used
to be major public health problems
have been so effectively controlled
in recent years that they have
either entirely disappeared or are
vanishing. For example, Mr.. Well
ing pointed out that in all of 1912
only 2 deaths occurred from typhoid
fever, whereas generation ago
every physician in the state with a
general practice might be sure that
he would treat at least one case of
typhoid each year. Now many ply
s1cianS may never treat a case of
typhoid fever in their whole profess
sional career.
During the entire years Of 1941
and 1912 there was not single
death from diphtheria in the state
OF Connecticut, but after thirty
months, a death from this disease
occurred in June of this year. Mr..
Yelling contrasted this record with
the TIT deaths from diphtheria
which occurred in this state in 1889.
tuberculosis was once the lead
ing cause of death in Connecticut,
but now it is being controlled to the
extent that 1t is sixth or seventh in
the list of chief causes of death.
Only twenty 1--we years ago, one
baby out of every ten born would
die in the first year of life. This
was an infant mortality rate of
1000 per 1000 living births. In 1912
this rate had dropped to 29.4 which
means that approximately one baby
out OF 80 born would die in the first
year OF life instead of one out of 10.
In recent years, deaths due to
pneumonia have also sharply de-
creased. The death rate from pneu-
monia In 1912 was 28.7 per 100. 900
population, but before the reduction
started In 1929, rate Of 1000 per
100000 population was considered
a normal rate.