390 Our Surroundings 



The Evidence of Insurance Companies. It has long been 

 the custom of insurance companies to take into consideration every 

 possible element that tends to shorten the lives of individuals. 

 Accordingly, they have had special statistics prepared to show 

 the effect of alcoholic drink on the length of life of the habitual 

 user. These statistics, when compared with statistics giving the 

 average length of life of abstainers from the use of these 

 drinks, invariably show that the latter are longer-lived than the 

 former. 



In summarizing his studies of the whole field of American 

 insurance statistics, the president of the New York Life Insurance 

 Company said : "The opinions of the medical directors show that 

 the life insurance companies look with disfavor on applications 

 from persons who drink freely, although not to the point of intoxi- 

 cation, and on those who have taken alcoholic beverages to excess 

 in the past but are temperate now. The statistics prove conclu- 

 sively that this attitude of mind is based on facts, and that a 

 higher mortality must be expected in these types of users of alco- 

 holic beverages. On the other hand, it is conclusively proved that 

 total abstainers are longer-lived than non-abstainers, even exclud- 

 ing from the latter those who drank immoderately at the date 

 of application for insurance or prior to that time. The experience 

 of seven American life insurance companies has proved that 

 abstainers have from 10 per cent to 30 per cent lower mortality 

 than non-abstainers ; and there is no good reason for believing 

 that, if the other companies compiled their statistics, there would 

 be any different result, provided the companies exercised the same 

 care in accepting abstainers and non-abstainers. The American 

 statistics, now published, corroborate the British data in indicating 

 the unfavorable effect of alcohol on length of life and in showing 

 that total abstinence decidedly increases length of life." 



SUMMARY 



Narcotics are substances that affect the nervous system in such 

 a way as to lessen the degree of activity of the organs which 

 it controls. Among the most common narcotics are tobacco, opium, 

 cocaine, heroin, and alcohol. 



