﻿546 
  

  

  ANNUAL 
  EEPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  Improvement 
  in 
  physical 
  condition 
  of 
  industrial 
  workers 
  resulting 
  from 
  periodic 
  

   physical 
  examination 
  as 
  revealed 
  l)y 
  the 
  medical 
  and 
  surgical 
  attention 
  

   needed 
  at 
  three 
  successive 
  years 
  of 
  cxaminqtion 
  (596 
  individuals) 
  

  

  Class 
  of 
  medical 
  or 
  surgical 
  attention 
  needed 
  

  

  General 
  medicine. 
  

  

  Eye 
  

  

  Ear 
  

  

  Nose 
  and 
  throat.. 
  

   Surgical 
  

  

  Number 
  

   of 
  cases 
  

   needing 
  

   attention 
  

   at 
  first 
  

   exami- 
  

   nation 
  

  

  90 
  

   217 
  

  

  144 
  

   79 
  

  

  New 
  cases 
  

   needing 
  

   attention 
  

   at 
  second 
  

   exami- 
  

   nation 
  

  

  Percentage 
  

   of 
  cases 
  

   cured 
  

   within 
  

   year 
  fol- 
  

   lowing 
  dis- 
  

   covery 
  of 
  

   impair- 
  

   ment 
  

  

  Summarizing 
  the 
  facts 
  in 
  the 
  table, 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  within 
  one 
  year 
  of 
  

   the 
  first 
  examination 
  a 
  great 
  reduction 
  in 
  the 
  apparent 
  need 
  for 
  

   medical 
  treatment 
  and 
  correction 
  of 
  disabilities, 
  ranging 
  from 
  50 
  to 
  

   69 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  classes 
  of 
  disability, 
  was 
  found, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  

   no 
  reason 
  to 
  doubt 
  that 
  these 
  results 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  credited 
  to 
  the 
  influence 
  

   of 
  periodic 
  health 
  examination, 
  the 
  counsel 
  and 
  suggestion 
  based 
  upon 
  

   it, 
  and 
  the 
  attentions 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  physicians 
  to 
  whom 
  those 
  needing 
  

   medical 
  treatment 
  were 
  referred. 
  

  

  Another 
  interesting 
  feature 
  of 
  Professor 
  Ryan's 
  study 
  is 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that, 
  in 
  an 
  effort 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  possible 
  influence 
  of 
  focal 
  infections, 
  

   a 
  study 
  of 
  about 
  8,000 
  examined 
  cases 
  showed 
  that 
  focal 
  infection 
  

   was 
  so 
  widely 
  prevalent 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  impossible 
  to 
  secure 
  a 
  pure 
  group 
  

   of 
  noninfected 
  cases 
  of 
  a 
  size 
  adequate 
  for 
  comparison. 
  This 
  revela- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  human 
  impairments 
  emphasizes 
  the 
  wide 
  margin 
  

   for 
  possible 
  improvement 
  already 
  stressed. 
  

  

  Both 
  in 
  England 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  the 
  World 
  War 
  dis- 
  

   closed 
  unsuspected 
  physical 
  shortcomings 
  (13). 
  General 
  Pershing 
  

   said 
  the 
  physical 
  condition 
  of 
  a 
  high 
  percentage 
  of 
  young 
  Americans 
  

   was 
  a 
  disgrace 
  to 
  any 
  nation 
  (13), 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  important 
  that 
  these 
  lessons 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  missed 
  by 
  hy- 
  

   gienists. 
  They 
  seem 
  too 
  often 
  to 
  be 
  overlooked. 
  Even 
  Raymond 
  

   Pearl, 
  professor 
  of 
  biometry 
  at 
  Johns 
  Hopkins 
  University, 
  in 
  a 
  popu- 
  

   lar 
  article 
  in 
  the 
  American 
  Mercury 
  seems 
  to 
  advise 
  his 
  readers 
  

   against 
  periodical 
  medical 
  examinations 
  and 
  exhorts 
  them 
  to 
  " 
  live 
  as 
  

   a 
  Christian 
  Scientist 
  is 
  supposed 
  to 
  live, 
  without 
  thought 
  or 
  fear 
  of 
  

   disease. 
  But 
  when 
  you 
  feel 
  ill 
  [the 
  italics 
  are 
  mine], 
  consult 
  a 
  physi- 
  

   cian 
  at 
  once." 
  

  

  The 
  chief 
  trouble 
  with 
  advice 
  to 
  wait 
  until 
  you 
  feel 
  ill 
  is 
  that 
  in 
  

   many 
  cases 
  a 
  person 
  does 
  not 
  " 
  feel 
  ill 
  " 
  until 
  long 
  after 
  he 
  has 
  become 
  

   ill. 
  Who 
  to-day 
  would 
  apply 
  such 
  advice 
  to 
  dentistry 
  : 
  " 
  Wait 
  till 
  

   your 
  tooth 
  aches; 
  until 
  then 
  do 
  not 
  bother 
  to 
  visit 
  the 
  dentist 
  for 
  

  

  