Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-09

patients: do it yourself II you
feel lis time to have the house
painted. But don't do it your
self when 1t comes to tampering
with your body. That's, the
doctors job"
Well, guess I'll have to re-
wise my former belief that put
tering around the house is aI
harmless pastime and hobby.
For example, consider these
statistics by Arthur A. Burroughs
of the American Mutual Liza
bility Insurance Company:
About 100000 people are in
jured each year by "doing-it-
yourself" OF these $4,000 are
hurt doing carpentry; $4,000 re-
pairing window-panes: 100000
while painting; $1,000 cleaning
cutters or roofs; $4,000 pruning
trees: 16.400 erecting TV aerials:
1900 repairing chimneys, and
$1,000 removing storm windows.
Commenting on these figures,
William Chapman White, writ
ing in the New York Herald
Tribune, said: 1.-THE only skill a.
man really needs is the ability
to use the telephone, and the
only really satisfactory do-it-
yourself book is the classified
telephone directory"
There was one Important
category that Mr.. Burroughs
did not include: the people who
"do-it-yourself' with their
health. As a physician, I think
1T is fair to estimate that many
more persons harm themselves
by self-treatment and procras-
tination than by all other do
it-yourself" methods combined.
Here's 9 Case History
For instance. consider this &C.
tual case history. The patient
inquestion was a prominent bus
inessman in q large Eastern city
IAt a. he was already financially
independent and a pillar In his
Church and society. He had three
fine children and q lovely wife.
He was human dynamo who
prided himself on taking only
10 minutes for lunch at the cor
ner drugstore. About six months
ago he began to lose his appe-
tite and complained of vague
heartburn and Indigestion. He
was too busy to see his physician.
Instead. heSlet the soda Jerk mix
up we'll known fizzy drink that
gave him temporary relief.
After he had lost 20 pounds
he was driven to his doctor by
the pleas of his wife and by
friends who kept saying: Whats
wrong with Jim? Been losing a
lot Of weight lately, haven't
you?
Six months after his symp-
toms began, he had a gastro-
intestinal test series and a ba-
rum enema. AS you have prob
ably guessed by now. they found
cancer. At operation it was so
far advanced that the surgeons
could only Closeup" without
being able to help.
This man with everything TO
live for, died--perhaps unnec-
Iessarily-at the age Of 20. A
routine physical by q qualified
physician might have saved him
for himself. family and COM
munity.
Too Many Examples
Here is one of hundreds of
thousands Of examples where
people "do-it-themselves" with
their health.
Not being an aviator, If some
body asked you TO take a Con-
stellation off the ground, you
would pooh-pooh the idea as
preposterous. Not being an en-
gineer. you would not dare build
a bridge Not being a hair
dresser. you would not even at
tempt to set a girls hair who
was on her way to a big formal
dance.
We hesitate, and wisely, toI
tackle the next fellows Job for
any large undertaking. In spite
of many years of practice. II
have not yet been able to under
stand the psychology Of self
treatment. Why will a man who
won't take a plane into the air
calmly experiment with his own |
life and health?
Death Is Just as dramatic