Evening Star Newspaper, November 29, 1931, Page 86

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, B. C.,> NOVEMBER 29, 1391. —_—*_“;_ —_—— “How Long Will I Live?” Scienze Cannot Tell You Individually, but It Knozws Your Chances Are Better Than in Former Years—OQur Average Life Span Steadily Lengthened by Advances in Medicine and the Use of Preventive Measures to Guard the Public Health. ETENTLY there died at the age of 58 a 1an of wealth who had rendered dis- tinguished public service and who was in tae midst of a useful career. Shortiy before that two physicians of national renowir, who had devoted years to work in the (niercst of prolongation of human life, died .n their early sixties. Still more re- cently publiz atiention has been attracted by an apparent marked rise lately in the cancer death rate, by an epidemic of infantile paralysis and a discussicn as to the effect on pubiic health of unemgployment ard economic distress. All these things raise the question: ‘“What progress, if any, is science making in the war against dis~as~?” Ancillary to that question is another: “Wkat is the National Government through its public health secrvice, doing to im- prove the naiional health and prolong life?” Regardless of the condition of the bank ac- eount, or of differences of race, sex or nation- ality, the ncrmal human being wants to live as leng as pos.ible. The business man who bemoans the difficuities of today and ever and ancn dec 5, “1 don't much care whether I live or die,” promptly soends for a doctor—or two or thkree of them—when actual illness occurs. That type of person, however, probably answers qi'estions such as those stated above with the remark, “Oh:" we aren't living longer; it just seems )-ng-r!” \ ELL, vhat are the facts about the public heaith—nct only as it is at the present, time, but as it has been during recent years when eccnomic conditions were normal? The answers to these qucstions carry a mes- sage of hcpe and cheerfulness and need to be prescribed when gloomy and wholly unfounded rumors sre widespread. In the first place, I believe it useful, in order to give the reader a broad view of the im- provement in the whole health situation as Tevealed by the increase in the duration of life, to review briefly the figures showing the average length of life and life expectancy. In Eurcope in the Middle Ages the average duration of human life, based on the figures available for certain cities, was only about 20 to 25 years. This is the present situatiom in India. Omne hundred years ago the average duration of life_had risen to somewhere be- tween 35 and 40 years, and for the next half century there was an increase of only two or three years. PFifty years sgo in the United States life ex- pectancy at birth was about 43 years. Now this figure has reached approximately 58 years (in the Uniled States) and it is believed that the end in lengthening the expectancy of life at birth is not yet reached. Perhzps the reader who is 57 or even 45 years wouid have no cause for rejoicing at a belief that his life is limited to 58 years, and S0 some word of explanation absut this state- ment regarding life expectancy may be ad- visable. The meaning is, of course, that of 100 or 1,000 or 2ny number of babies born in the Uniied States today, the average age at death will be probably a little over 58 years, on the basis of cur present mortality rates in the registration area. If those babies had been born in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 1789 their average expectancy of life, based upon expert calculation of that time, would have been only 35 years. The white child born even as recently as 1911 had a life expectancy of less than 52 years. That the reader at the higher age mentioned may still further be assured of his continuance in this world, I set out in the following tabula- tion the expectation of life, on the basis of mortality rat-s in 1028: Age . Additional years (yeais) of life (ludbe Sy expected. At birih oo OW a "uth:r word of cheer to some of those who are interested in compnting their ch2nc>s of living 10 a ripe old age. The figures eivon chove include all races, but' it should b> rec-giized that members of the white race have a lower mortality rate than colored pocple, and hence a better chance to live long r. For in-tance, the statistics of the same incurance company showed that among every 103.000 c:loved people 1,556 died in the course of the year. whereas only 824 white pelicyhc’levs per 100.000 died. By Hugh S. Cumming, M.D.,D.Sc,, Surgeon General, United States Public Health Service —Harris & Ewing. A new portrait of Dr. Hugh S. Cumming, surgeon general and director of the United States Public Health Service What are health conditions now, with the world-wide economic disturbance affecting to some extent the income of our own wage and salary earners? A compilation of mortality reports from States containing more than one-third the Nation’s population showed that during the first five months of this year the death rate was 12 per 1,000, as compared with 13.1 for the same perfod in 1928. The death rates among the 70,000,000 policyholders of the in- dustrial insurance companies, a more or less selected group of perscns, were 10.5 during the first six months of 1931 and 10.6 during the first half year of 1928. One of the largest industrial insurance companies, with approxi- mately 20,000,000 policies in force, reported a lower death rate in August than at any pre- vious corresponding period—lower even than in August, 1924, the previous best health month. There can be no doubt concerning the des mand upon hospital and free medical facilities at this time, for unemployment diminishes the ability of many people to take care of the sick at home by private medical treatment; but infant deaths, deaths from tuberculosis and sickness rates reported to wage-earner benefit associations were all lower during the first part of this year than in the first half of 1928. The next question which presents itself is, “Where are the death and health savings com- ing in—that is, are all the savings in mortality among infants and children, or have we made progress in prolonging adult lives?” The greatest gains undoubtedly have been made in preventing, curing and limiting the diseases of childhood. In the period of 1921- 1324 the death rate dmong children 5 years old and under had been cut in half, as compared with the period beginning in 1901. But there has been a savings in lives, too, in every age group up to 65, comparing the two periods. Por instance, for every 10 men and women who died between the ages of 25 and 35 at the be- ginning of this century, only 6 died at similar ages in the period 1921-1924. Even between the ages of 55 and 65 we improved the heaith rate, or lowered the death rate, and only in the age group of 65 to 75 was an increase in mortality recorded. Let us reduce these bare statements of fact to “eases” in this fashion: In 1900, among every million of our popu- lation in the registration States, approximately 17,195 people died of all causes. In 1929, only 12,343 died—a saving of practically 5,000 lives a million of population, or approximately a total saving of 600,000, assuming the rates to apply to the whole country. Where 313 people died of typhoid fever in 1900, only 16 succumbed in 1929. Where 134 children (and adults) died of measles in 1900, only 25 died in 1929, Where tuberculosis killed 1,745 people at the beginning of this century, there were only 647 deaths in 1929. Scarlet fever took a toll of 96 children or other persons in 1900 to every 19 who succumbed to that disease in 1929, THESE are some of the signs of progress in the care of human health, the results of some of the great advances in medical science and the application of preventve medi- cine during comparatively few and recent years. Now, with more people reaching middle age and advanced years, we find an incresse of deaths from diseases pertaining especially to those age groups. In other words, medical science, having succeeded in keeping many more people alive through infancy, youth and the lower reaches of adulthood, now is con- fronted with the problem of safeguarding those lives in the natural period of declining physical vigor. Many of those who are at middle age, for instance, are just beginning to feel the ef- fect of a heart lesion incurred in childhood when less was known about the serious later results of certain childhood diseases, and far less about proper treatment. Children were even intentionally exposed to certain diseases 50 that they might “have them over with”— neither doctors nor parents of that day and age recognizing the fact that the foundation was being laid thereby for some serious trouble 30 or 40 years later. So the present record is different, with re- spect to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, apo- plexy and other so-called “degenerative” gis- eases, than it is with respect to the ones previ- ously mentioned. Diseases of the heart, for instance, took 1,374 people per million of pop- ulation in 1900, as compared with 2,664 in 1929, One of the great health problems now is cancer. Where that disease or group of dis- cases caused approximately 640 deaths per mil- lion of population in 1900, it caused 960 in 1929, Now it is possible for some persons to look at such figures as those with utter despair and to proclaim loudly the failure of medical science, entirely forgetting the many years of life that have been added to the human span, bringing a constantly larger percentage of our people to the age of susceptibility to cancer, heart disease and the remainder of the group associated with the “wearing out” of the human machine. On the other hand, it is proper to look back over a century or so, and, noting the diseases that have been practically vanquished in many nations, to conclude that we shall better con- trol and limit, perhaps, even eliminate, some of the great present-day causes of suffering and death. In the past one sees the scourges of great epidemics of smallpox and bubonic plague, yellow fever, cholera, typhus, scarlet fever, diphtteria and other diseases that now are greatly limited. In the future one sees, with knowledge of the study and research now going on through the civilized world, similar limitation of the ailments that afflict man- kind today. There is an army of scientists throughout the world continually employed in safeguarde ing human life, searching for causes and seeke ing means of prevention and cure. An im- portant division of that army is the Publiec Health Service of the United States Govern- ment. A book might be written about what it has done and constantly is doing to make life longer and more free from pain and suf- fering. Consider, for example, the effect of a single epidemic of a “new” nature. In 1918 influenza and pneumonia took more than 500,000 lives in the United States and millions throughout the world. Yet it is only one of many epi= demic diseases that might ravage the popula= tion of the United States but for the “border patrol” work of the Public Health Service, on guard at every port of entry for immigrants and ships from other lands. Consider what lack of protection of our peo- ple against cholera might mean. In British India, in 1930, there were approximately 366,- 000 cases of cholera and 217,000 deaths from the disease. The effect of admission of cholera “carriers” to the United States may be imag- ined. And so the officers of the Public Health Service go on every vessel that enters any port of the United States, and through medical in= spection and quarantine safeguard our people against those who may be carrying an infec- tion from abroad. Then there is plague to be guarded against— more than 21,000 cases in the first three months of this year in India, with a total of 15,000 deaths. There is typhus (not typhoid) fever, transe mitted by body lice from one person to an- other, that might be brought over on one ship or on a dozen ships. Just after the World War, when typhus was widespread in Europe, it was estimated "that 3,000,000 persons died from the disease in five years. Our own Public Health Service officers, stationed abroad, super= vised the installation of equipment on trans- atlantic vessels bound for the United States that insured a “clean” crew and passenger per=- sonnel upon arrival in America. The result was a prevention of any real typhus epidemic . in this country. NOTHER disease barred from our shores by Public Health Service inspection and activities is yellow fever. It is transmitted by a mosquito, and is a disease that might, in this country, so far as—“favorable” tempera- ture conditions are concerned, exist from the northern boundary of Virginia to the southern boundary of Texas, and especially in seaports. It existed for a long time in the West Indies, & close and dangerous menace to the United States. During the early life of this nation, epidemics of yellow fever occurred from New Hampshire to Texas and as far West as St. Louis. The death rate was terrific. American doctors discovered the cause and the means of prevéntion. The result is that for a period of 26 years we have enjoyed com- plete freedom from yellow fever in epidemie form. . Each part of the country has its own -public health problems; yet the Public Health Service must and does deal with all of them that threaten to become real public menaces. N our several laboratories we are experi- menting, among other vitally important studies, with the use of very high frequency electric current (66,000,000 to 100,000,000 cycles) in the control of cancerous growths. We use mice and rats in these experiments, We have found that by the application of high frequency currents it is possible to bring about the absorption of these tumors and the even- tual recovery of the animal. But we make no claim to having discovered a *“cure” for human cancer. We are working, we are investigating, we are studying, we are adding to the store of knowledge of this as well as other important Continued on Twelfth Page