Show Death Respects Occupations Occupations' Occupations By Frederic J. J Haskin WASHINGTON ASHINGTON V Death has been declared to be no respecter of persons laying his hand alike on kings and beggars but studies of the United States public health service show that death Is a respecter of occupations It ItIs ItIs ItIs Is shown that the death rate among the professional classes is only seven out of every 1000 while the death rate among unskilled workers is 13 per 1000 Indeed the death rate for the unskilled is 50 per cent higher than for all other workers combined There arc are some highly hazardous hazardous hazar hazar- dous occupations which are classed as skilled such as the occupation of structural steel steelworkers steelworkers steelworkers workers where a n high death rate is shown but taking lc broad classifications classifications clas clas- it is Fi J the unskilled more frequently visited by death Compared with every deaths among the unskilled there are but hut 53 among the professional classes doctors lawyers dentists and the like For every deaths death's among the unskilled there are but 56 among business executives and managers and the same number among clerks and of office lice workers It would seem almost that death respects the white collar Among the skilled industrial workers mechanics me rae- and so on there are 63 deaths for every among the tho unskilled Tuberculosis in Iii Lead Mad Tuberculosis is the guise in which death comes most frequently frequently fre fre- fre- fre qu nUy among the unskilled Of all the deaths in that class 13 out of every were caused by tuberculosis of the lungs This compares with a figure of only five out of each among professional professional professional pro pro- and business men The tuberculosis death rate is more than twice as high in the ranks of the unskilled as in all other occupational classes combined For business men on the other hand the tuberculosis rate was only half as high as for all aU others others oth oth- oth- oth ers combined Tuberculosis pneumonia and accidents arc are regarded as the greatest occupational hazards with close relation to the job It is interesting to note that accident accident accident ac ac- ac- ac incidence is highest among the skilled industrial workers four out of every deaths in inthe inthe the group being accidental Liver diseases diabetes suicide and heart henrt disease show a higher in incidence incidence in in- among business men than thanin in any other occupational class Comparison With England The study was made with especial especial espe espe- cial dat relation to work That is only those deaths occurring among men gainfully employed have been taken into tion The figures show that for or each men gainfully employed employed employed em em- the deaths of were caused by heart disease Next comes tuberculosis of the tho lungs with a figure of 88 out of every at work Cancer shows 82 pneumonia 69 60 kidney disease 48 brain hemorrhage 42 suicide 35 accidents 30 diabetes 12 liver disease 11 and all other causes The study Includes another grouping which shows the manner manner man man- ner ncr in which death respects oc oc- oc For every professional professional pro pro- men gainfully employed 70 deaths from all aU causes arc are re reported re- re ported For owners managers and officials there arc are 74 deaths out of every For skilled workers the count Is 81 deaths out of every Here comes the big jump for there are arc deaths out of every unskilled unskilled un un- un- un skilled workers employed Rates nates Compared A comparison was made with experience in England as bein being probably the most comparable in industrial industrial In- In countr country The experience I shows some notable differences It Is shown that the death rate among manual workers is higher in Ia the United States than In England England En En- gland land while the tho professional and business s group shows a higher rate in England For the skilled semiskilled and unskilled th the death rate Is much higher in the United States Indeed among the unskilled the rate rato is 29 per percent percent percent cent higher here What the explanation explanation ex ex- of this is will vill require more study to determine It may maybe maybe maybe be that the pace of work is faster here Taking an equal number of workers for tor each of the two countrIes countries countries coun coun- tries it Is shown that for tor every deaths among professional and business men in England there are arc but 92 in the United States For every deaths among skilled workers in England England En En- gland there are in this coun coun- try For every deaths among the semiskilled in England die In the United States tes and for every deaths among the English English En En- glish gush unskilled American unskilled unskilled unskilled un un- un- un skilled workers succumb These figures seem to bear out the contention which has long been made that the economic position po po- po- po of the tho individual by bj and large governs his health or at least strongly influences It Save for the tho outright hazardous occupations occupations occupations it seems that income has hasa a n. great deal to do with survival Alarming Accident Figures All the records go to show that the individual in the low income class has the greatest amount of illness Poor and perhaps housing food of poor qualIty quality quality ity and sometimes Insufficient quantity break down the re resistance resistance re- re to disease There arc are exceptions ex cx- in every group There Is many an unskilled laborer in a alow alow alow low income class who is a very Hercules of strength and re resistance resistance resistance re- re and plenty of the pamper pampered pam pam- per d rich who are sickly but nevertheless the general rule of disease follows the line of in income in- in come For one thing in case of ot an epidemic disease the tho poor man manIs manis manis is unable to escape He can not go to the tho mountains or seashore or any distant place to escape the Infection He must remain and face it out It is of the utmost In Interest Interest interest In- In terest to note that in 1934 for the first time timo in many decades the death rate in large American cities increased even though there were no serious epidemics in that year It was a year when there was a great amount of unemployment unemployment unemployment ment and in which in spite of federal and local relief there was bitter economic hardship Normally Normal Normal- ly Ij the American city cily is a more healthful place than the rural re regions regions re- re gions glens but the congestion o of poor families in the cities has a tendency tendency tendency ten ten- dency to combat the normally better conditions The situation has become such that there is a strong movement in favor of substantial federal grants to subsidize local public health services Fighting Accidents In addition to the toll of diseases diseases diseases dis dis- dis- dis eases of oC various kinds the accident accident acci ned dent record continues alarming It is true that there has been a great amount of accident tion education In recent years and the great industrial corporations have made efforts In the tho wa way of oC prevention yet accidents continue to occur In 1933 for example there were accidental fatal fatal- The automobile continues to be the greatest menace but workers were killed In in industrial industrial industrial in- in accidents while such accidents accidents ac ac- ac permanently crippled 55 and temporarily disabled Final compilations of the national safety council arc are not yet et in for 1934 but the pro pre |