Show PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS v I INCREASING EFFICIENCY I By DR MORRIS FISHBEIN Editor Journal Jour of the American Medical Association and of Hygeia Hygeia Hy Hy- geia the Health Magazine Since it has been definitely shown that periodic physical examination of the in an industry will lower the amount of time lost from disease and increase the output of work In special departments more and more industries are beginning to adopt the plan as a permanent investment In plants in which a beginning has already been made the work is being being- extended to Include additional groups of persons and additional special examinations requiring consultation consultation consultation con con- beyond that available through the plant physician When these examinations were first inaugurated they usually consisted consisted consisted con con- of a brief Inspection and con con- COMPLETE RECORDS They now Include the recording a complete history of the patients patient's physical condition and a careful record of a physical examination made at the time In most in instances instances instances in- in stances the first examination Is made when the workman is employed employed employed em em- in order to determine his I capacity for the labor concerned and to eliminate the entrance into the plant of infectious diseases examinations Re-examinations are made when are transferred from one department to another and in some Industries annual examinations are made to trace the patients patient's physical ca cat cal progress In industries where workers use lead mercury or other well known poisons weekly or monthly examinations are required to determine determine determine deter deter- mine whether or no rio not they may be under the influence of these poisonous poisonous poison poison- ous drugs When such examinations were first undertaken workmen fre fie c objected because of fear that defects night be found which would be responsible for loss of th their ir jobs Others objected because because be- be N be-N cause of adherence to religious beliefs be be- liets which denied the character of medical science EDUCATED As the public has become educated educated edu edu- to the advantages of periodic physical examination the number of objectors has decreased so that only a few objections were noted among the hundreds of thousands of of plants which now insist on medical examination as a I requirement for employment Of the plants reporting twenty twenty twenty ty stated that they had not rejected any because of physical disability ninety plants rejected from 1 I. to 5 per cent six forty-six plants rejected from 5 to 10 percent per percent percent cent twenty-three twenty plants rejected from 10 to 20 per cent five plants plants' from 20 I to 50 per cent and one plant more mor than 50 per cent Among the diseases which were the most common causes of rejection rejection rejection tion for employment are venereal diseases rupture heart diseases blindness mental deficiency defective defective defective tive hearing epilepsy high blood I pressure rheumatism hardening of the arteries alcoholism and goiter It will be realized that many of ot these are curable and that others may be easily benefited by proper medical care |