Fraternity-Testvériség, 1956 (34. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1956-04-01 / 4-5. szám
36 FRATERNITY result, the value, dignities and purposes of human life are impressed upon them. Its members are able to practice the virtues of charity and benevolence. Even though the fraternal benefit system provides additional benefits available through fraternal life insurance programs, its lodge system has been created to strengthen brotherhood in its continuing process to be of service to mankind. AMERICA’S HEALTH IMPROVING A news release has been received at this office which concerns health and longevity. We cannot detect its sponsor — whether the 95% of the bread makers of America or the organized free-enterprise medical profession, but the figures of increasing health and longer life are in line with other statistics we have seen. “America continues on the march to better health and longer life,” says the handout. “Figures recently made available by public health officials and other agencies show not only that Americans live longer, but also that many of the killers of former years are gradually being vanquished.” A table shows the death rate per 100,000 from a number of diseases and shows how it has decreased between 1940 and 1954: 1954 1940 Tuberculosis ..................................... 10.5 45.9 Pneumonia .......................................... 25.2 70.3 ' Diseases of pregnancy .................. 1.3 6.7 Dysentery ............................................ 0.3 1.9 Scarlet Fever ................................. 0.1 0.5 Diphtheria .......................................... 0.1 1.1 “As late as 1944, infant mortality was 39.8 for every thousand live births. By 1954 it dropped to 26.6, a reduction of 33%. During the same period, maternal mortality dropped from 22.8 for every 10,000 live births to 5.3, a reduction of almost 77%.” A plug has been put in for B vitamins, niacin, in the daily diet. Because of this, the deaths from pellagra dropped from 2,123 to 135. One of the important factors bringing about this better state of nutrition has been the enrichment of white bread with three B vitamins — thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin — and with iron, says the release. “Bread is one of the few foods eaten by everyone, daily, and practically at every meal. Since 1941, when enriched bread became available commercially on a national scale, medical men and public health officers have credited it with supplying America with a goodly portion of the vitamins and minerals needed to stamp out deficiency diseases and to improve general health. Today, probably 95% of all white bread sold commercially in the United States is enriched bread.” It is an anomaly that better health and increasing longevity require more life insurance. It is obvious that old-age endowments are needed more and in larger amounts, but the protection of dependents is an increasing factor among healthy people raising the birth rate. (F. A.)
