Milford chronicle., 1963-03-15
Changes Urged
For Cardiac
Compen ensufion

4 Sd4 A41S AAodD444NJ DO4 AAS DJ al
dustry can be ''greatly reduced"
but not by keeping heart patients
off the payrolls, DR.. Louis H.
Sigler, Brooklyn, NY, said to-
day.
| 81 believe that some correc-
tions in our laws and in our
mode of thinking are essential, !"
DR.. Sig1er said in the current
Journal of the American Med
1cal Associations.
Instead of devising methods
of eliminating cardiacs and So
called potential cardiacs, he said,
industry should aim at detecting
and preventing heart attacks
among its employees and In re-
habilitating and encouraging
claimants to continue their work.
"m a great many individuals
in the 'arteriosclerotic age there
may be absolutely no physical
or laboratory findings to indicate
the presence of coronary disease
shortly before the acute attack,
and it is often impossible to
predict who will suffer an attack
and to what extent" he said.
"The theory of eliminating car
diacs from industry is therefore
hypothetical in many cases"
DR.. Sigler said there have
been many instances in which
heart trouble occurred at home
and no careful medical examin-
alton was made before the work.
er was allowed to return to his
job. In many Of these cases, he
said, proper management of the
patient and rest would have pre-
vented a later attack occurring
at work for which the employer
was held responsible.
"This is a major factor which
contributes greatly to loss of
money and life in cardiac dis
ease," he said.
The relative safety of heart
patients returning to work after
recovery from an attack and
the infrequency Of total disability
and early death should be dem
onstrated to industry and pa
tients, Dr.. Sigler said.
"Most individuals who sus-
tain an acute cardiac injury and
recover are able to pursue their
occupations, In some cases for
many years." he said. "n my
experience, upward Of per cent
To 50 per cent Of patients who
recover from acute infarction
belong in that category.
IA realization Of this fact by
industry would allay the fear Of
employing individuals Of the AR
teriosclertoic age even in the
presence of demonstrable car
diac disease. It should also eli
inmate costly litigation In fight
ing every case, even those in
which there is unmistakable cas-
ual relationship
IN addition, he said, some al
lowance should be made for the
chronic underlying disease which
participates in the development
Of the acute process. Although
the award ordinarily given for a
disability IS much smaller than
the wage Of the injured person,
and may be considered as such
an allowance, the difference Is
not sufficient to relieve the EN-
ployer, he said.
Therefore, DR.. Sigler said,
payment for the disability should
be continued only up to the or
binary retirement age of the in
dividual at which time Social
Security and other benefits should
take over.
81 believe that the savings to
the employer or the insurance
carrier by eliminating payments
beyond the retirement age will
greatly reduce the average cost
Of compensation and remove
some Of the fear in industry to
employ these Individuals" he
said.
Finally, he said, for proper
administration of compensation
law in cardiac disability, it is
essential that evaluation of each
case be made by an impartial,
well qualified physician selected
and paid by the state. Under
this arrangement he said, great
many cases would be settled with
out the unnecessary expense of a
trial.
DR.. Sigler is consulting cardio-
logist, Coney Island Hospital,
Peninsula General Hospital, and
Menorrah Home and Hospital for
| the Aged.
ALWAYS A LION
RICHMOND, Ky (AP)-Cassius
MarcelIus Clay, Civil War aboli-
zionist. once owned a 2. 900 acre
estate on the Kentucky River.
Known as Whitehall. the hous
still stands and has 40 rooms. "A
farm family lives in part of it.
Clay later became known -