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Show Rheumatic Fever Funds Asked To Fight Disease Mayor Urges Cooperation Among Citizens To Place City Over the Top Springville citizens are requested to get behind the Utah County rheumatic Fever drive and raise funds to assist with research work in combating the disease, which is described as the No. 1 killer of all ages today. Mrs. Julia Sumsion, Mrs. Ruby Christensen, and Mrs. Lela Packard, Pack-ard, co-chairmen for the drive in Springville, are urging every club and each individual to respond to this most worthy project. When sufficient funds are raised, it is planned to construct a convalescent convales-cent home or hospital in the county coun-ty for victims of this disease, it is pointed out. In urging that Springville go over the top in this important drive, Mayor Sterling E. Price made the following information known this week: Over one hundred fifty million work days, or billions of dollars in productivity, are lost each year because be-cause of heart and blood vessel (Continued on Page Two) Rheumatic Fever Funds Asked (Continued from page 1) disorders. Countless millions of dollars are spent to save those who are stricken. Heart disease is a leading occupational disease of executives. It drains the nation of brain power, training and leadership. lead-ership. This is only the economic side. Take a glance at the loss of life, the suffering and distress. Record Number In 1946, the last year for which complete figures are available, more than 588,000 persons died of diseases of the heart and blood system. During the same year, fatality figures for the next five highest causes of death were: Cancer Can-cer 182,000; accidents, 98,000; nephritis ne-phritis (kidney disease) 82,000; pneumonia, 62,000; tuberculosis, 51,000. Mortality from this disease dis-ease is three times as high as cancer, can-cer, six times as high as accidents, nine times as high as pneumonia, and eleven times as high as tuberculosis, tuber-culosis, and about five times as high as infantile paralysis, whooping whoop-ing cough, diphtheria, scarlet fever, measles and cerebrospinal meningitis combined. It is estimated that over 1,000,-000 1,000,-000 people in the United States are suffering from rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease. Among Young It is the leading fatal disease among young people between the ages of 5 and 19. It leads all causes of death between the ages of 40 and 60. Nearly one out of every two deaths after the age of 45 is caused by heart disease. It immobilized more than 40,000 young men in the armed forces of World War H. Because 'of advances in preventative preven-tative treatment, the average rheumatic heart disease patient, under good medical care, can lead a normal life for many years. As a result of scientific progress, some forms can now be cured by drugs and surgery. This scientific progress is due to kind and generous gener-ous people who have given time and funds to carry on the work. Let us appeal to Springville's citizenry citi-zenry to give to this fine cause. Its need is over five times greater than any other in the medical research re-search field. It is the responsibility responsi-bility -of every citizen to see that the research needs are adequately fulfilled. Some one in your family may be next. |