310 ILLINOIS STATE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



schools from which these graduates come. It gives more 

 than a hint of the social conditions and the progressive- 

 ness and effectiveness of medicine in the various com- 

 munities in which these graduates live. It is an admir- 

 able review of the physical results of competitive ath- 

 letics upon the adolescent. It is a relatively accurate 

 estimate of the proportion of men in a select group avail- 

 able for military service. It reveals the physical de- 

 fects which handicap the individual, and justifies itself 

 by increasing his efficiency through correction or alle- 

 viation of his condition. 



A physical examination is of social and industrial sig- 

 nificance since it gives some conception of the suitability 

 of the population for the various occupations which our 

 complex social organization requires. It teaches the 

 laity the nature and value of a good medical examination 

 and stimulates interest in hygiene and sanitation. It 

 gives physicians an opportunity to acquire greater skill 

 in recognizing potential and incipient disease when pre- 

 vention and cure are most likely to be successful. They 

 get a broader outlook upon disease and have their judg- 

 ment quickened in the evaluation of symptoms. It bene- 

 fits society by lengthening the period of activity of those 

 who, by training and experience, will be best fitted to 

 serve it. 



A physical examination reveals something of the size 

 and nature of the task before those who seek to raise the 

 physical status of the population to a level more nearly 

 commensurate with the possibilities of attainment. Ac- 

 cording to the actuarial and medical departments of cer- 

 tain insurance companies, a periodic medical examina- 

 tion has a potential life-saving value of about $30.00 for 

 each such examination. 



