Show 4 I A PROTECTION AGAINST DISEASE E SE r I IA I Y By DR HUGH S. S GUMMING NG j Surgeon General States States' Public Health Service i iThe I IThe The successful merchant at stated stated stat stat- i j ed ed times once or more dur during ng the I j year tal takes tak's s stock Toot That is by vanous various van vari- j i ous accounting methods he finds finds' out what his store has in it vh what t I j his liabilities nb are re how much reserve re- re i j serve capital he has on his booksin books books- books I in other othe words he lie attempts to find ont out whether or not his business is is' is in a te healthy condition Many people including many good business men inen how however ver never think of ot visiting their physicians until they are ill In other words they walt skit until the ph physical machine mal ma ma- chine liine l lie works badly or r nature threat threatens threat threat- ens physical 1 bankruptcy before visiting visiting visiting vis vis- their repair men or taking in inventory inventory inventory in- in of ot their physical condition The human body is one of the most delicate pieces of ot machinery known and likewise it is tb the most valuable mechanism known to man It Is often orten the he most neglected piece of machinery 5 S S Numbers of or men on reaching middle middle mid mid- mid mid- dle tile lit life think of protecting their family ramBy and busin business ss and attempt to secure life insurance They feel that they are In excellent condition and andare andare are greatly greany shocked on being told they cannot obtain the wished for fOl insurance Their blood pressure is too high or their kidneys arc are dis- dis ea eased ed or there is something wrong with with- the tho heart eart In tact fact act they are advised ad that po potentially po- po th they y are sick men Had Bad Hadt t these esc men inen inen been Deen examined at regular regular reg- reg ular int intervals by their family physicians phy phy- beginnings of these symptoms symptoms toms would have been discovered and in most c cases ses the c causes causes uses could h have ve been removed and the trouble obviated Great advances advance's advances in medical science have been made in recent years Few laymen realize reaUze that the up-to- up date dat physician Is Isble able ble to detect many incipient conditions which will cause severe injury to the human human hu Mi- man mart man body If It allowed to continue f The flie e most prominent t of th these se conditions conditions conditions con con- are are- dla diabetes etes Brights Bright's dise dis- dis e easer se organic 0 heart lesions hard hard- ening of the arteries ar arteriosclerosis ei oafs osis oes late manifestations of certain specific infection cancer and nervous nervous ner nez and mental disorders Cancer r is a disease of middle lff life and of later years There There- are several sever types types' of this disease nearly all of them developing in the mid middle le period of life or ot shortly thereafter The causative agent has not yet been discovered although long continued continued con con- Irritations seem to be be- bea a conI contributing con con- I factor The outlook for fOl forthe forthe the individual atC affected Is fall fair if the thc condition Is discovered early and anil II vigorous treatment carried out In speaking of nervous a and d menI mental men r I tal disorders frankly insane case easo I are arc not considered nor those dealing dealL deal- deal L J ing lag more particularly y with tion of the nerves but only those cases casE'S belonging to neither class such as hysterIa neurasthenia neuroses neuroses neu lieu roses and other mental disorders may terminate In invalidism A large proportion of ot these cases I are curable that is they may be beI I I restored to practically normal conI condition condition con con- if H cared for foI early I It is of course quite true that one factor In in the production of these disorders is hereditary mental instability In- In stability weakness but under proper circumstances circumstances' this weakness I may cause caus no serious difficulty and I such persons ma may go through h life without departing from the normal Should they however be subjected to severe mental train shock worry or 01 anxiety for long continued periods they may d develop hysteria neurasthenia or other more marked Illness A large number of mental diseases develop or come to our out attention durin during middle life Proper advice is a a most essential factor in Itt the treatment of these conditions The average life expectancy has greatly increased during the past twenty-five twenty years du due largely to the e recognition of the necessity for the care re of infants and children and ami rn flOre re effective methods for fot the control control con con- of communicable diseases and It is quite likely that there may be beslin still slin further Ses as a's s we awaken awak waK- en fn to the necessity for fot the pre prevention even pi-even- n- n ion tion of the diseases of middle life |