Evening star., 1943-06-20
A Future National
Health Program
BIZ Frederic J. Hnsktn.


tries as England with its thousand years
OF history yet many Of the older coun-
tries are younger in another sense. This
country's population Is growing older
while the populations Of many countries
much older than this are younger.
population of older people creates many
economic and social problems, and these
must be dealt with more vigorously 10
the not distant future.
That the population of the United
States is growing older is traceable to no
single fact. For one thing this country
has been populated in part by Immigrants
who were adults when they arrived. In
less than half century the countrys
population doubled. In the years of the
first decade after the turn of the century,
immigrant entry was so strong that
marked effect was made on the character
OF the Nation. Three of the years Of
that decade brought in more than 1000
900 EACH and while most Of them were
vigorous youths, they are now middle
aged and old 1t is true that many chill
dren were brought in, but most Of the
newcomers were we'll started in life. This
overbalanced the population.
In this country as probably In few
others great advances have been made
in the reduction of infant mortality. In
1900 the death rate was l78 per 1000,
but now 1t is approximately 10 per / ,000
The great part of this reduction has come
through declining infant mortality, and
1t is said that today when a child has
successfully survived its first year it
enters upon its healthiest period of life
The dangerous ages used to extend well
into the teens.
AAainst this decline in the infant
mortality rate, however, it Is necessary
to set the rapidly declining birth rate.
Until the present war births per 1000
so notably declined that, even though
more infants were saved than in the
preceding generations. so few infants
were born compared with a few decades
ago that the unbalance was further
emphasized
Thus this country has become a Ma
ton having a disproportionate number
OF middle aged and old people There
has also been an increase in the Iongev-
lUy, life expectancy being about dozen
years longer than it was in 1900. So
with fewer babies, and adults living
longer, what might be called a top
heavy character is given to the pop
ulation. The increased birth rate dur
ing the war years will be offset by the
loss OF soldier lives, leaving the older
people still in the ascendency.
few years ago when there was
so much agitation for such Utopias as
the Townsend old-age pension plan,
some attention was given to the future
problem occasioned by an older pop-
ulatlon. 1t was shown that there would
be an increasing number of old peorle
who would be caRed upon to meet
the taxes to pay the proposed pen
slons, A Nation growing older with
fewer replacements
This somewhat unusual and not too
rosy outlook for the future has re-
suited in many valuable SURVEYS look
ing toward a general stepping uo Of
/ the whole health level 1t has been
found, for instance, that the annual
cost OF illness and premature death
in the United States amounts to abour
$4,000 100000 a year. Any such figure
must be somewhat arbitrary, for il is
almost impossible to place a price or a
lie. Only the most genera! averages
can be employed. 1t might be estimated
that the life of the President of the
United States is worth 81 900, 900 900 TO
| the country. On the other hand, no
money value can be placed on lives
OF certain obscure individuals to their
own lntrnates, perhaps to a single !a-
innate. Yet there can be some :esti-
mate OF what a person would earn
should ne live 5, 10 or 20 years longer,
and that potential earning, cut off by
premature death, can be accounted a
definite economic loss.
There are about 100000 persons in
the United States who are disabled by i'll
ness every day of the year. Each wear
about 100000 sick persons lose an ae-
gregate OF more than 1000 900 900 days
from their work or accustomed activity.
1t has been noted that in normal times
the number of infants coming on is
decreasing. This means that in order to
maintain national productiveness the
already adult population must be kept
IN better physical condition. It has been
found that advances made in the preven-
ton and cure of the ailments of the mid
dle-aged and elderly have not been so
marked as in the case of infant NOR
tally. Thus today the Nations main
health problem has shifted to those
older classes.
ouch diseases as cancer, diabetes and
arrangements of the circulatory system
are not on the decline. These are mala
dies which attack those in middle and
later life. Deaths from these couses.
with proper attention, can be decreased
ana disability reduced Also more atten-
ton must be given to influenza, common
colds, lnfantile paralysis, the various
forms OF rheumatism and mental dis
orders
pneumonia has become a special
enemy. 1t is exceeded as a cause of
death only by diseases of the heart, blood
vessels, the kidneys and cancer. Pneu-
monia disables 100000 persons a year. A
great many cases are caused by ~expo-
sure to inclement weather and work in
poorly ventilated rooms and dusty. at
mospheres In this respect large meas
ure OF prevention can be exercised.
Malaria causes enormous economic loss
In the South, and this can be largely
prevented by attention to drainage and
the accumulation of larvae.