Life — March 10, 1927 — page 6: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Life “Runs OOR old souls! Pires think that bent backs and knotted hands are in- evitable at their age. If only they had known, they could have pre- vented the misery of what they call “rheu- matism™. For centuries all sorts of pains and aches have been charged to rheu- matism. A stiff shoulder was rheumatism. A crip- pled arm was rheuma- tism. A creaking knee was rheumatism. But now authorities agree that the term “rheumatism” should be discarded and that “rheumatic diseases” should be separated into two main divisions. In the first and more im- portant division is placed Acute Rheumatic Fever. In the second Chronic Arthritis. Acute Rheumatic Fever is an Infectious Disease It is caused by a germ which can be passed from person to person as the germs of other diseases are transferred. Most at- tacks come between the ages of five and fifteen. From then on the likelihood gradually lessens. The grave danger from acute rheumatic fever is that the germs may attack the heart, causing that most fearsome of all ailments—heart disease. A noted physician reports that not less va Rheumatic fever is the greatest known menace to the health of the heart, and heart disease causes more deaths every year in the United States than any other disease. In a study lasting more than a year and covering $71,000 in the Family” “How's the rheumatiz today, Joc?" “Pretty bad—but got to expect it—runs in the family.” “Mine, too. Father had it before me." than 40% of the persons who suffer from rheumatic fever develop chronic heart disease. Of the cases of heart disease in childhood, eight out of ten are the result of rheumatic infection. The germ of acute rheumatic fever prob- ably enters the body through the mouth or nose and may pass through diseased tonsils, infected sinuses or teeth direct into the blood, and so to the heart. Children often have rheumatic infection which passes unrecognized by the parents. St. Vitus’ Dance is one indication. So- called “growing pains” are another—it does not hurt to grow. Frequent attacks of tonsilitis may be a source of rheumatic so infection. Protect your children from this men- ace to life and health, Have their throats, noses and mouths examined twice a year so that any possible condition which threatens acute rheu- matic fever may be corrected. Chronic Arthritis— A Rheumatic Disease While acute rheumatic fever is caused only by a germ, chronic ar thritis, which means “inflammation of a joint”, may come from one of many causes. An injury to a joint, faulty posture, improper diet, the poisons from infec tiousdiseases, germsfrom diseased tonsils, teeth, gall bladder, appendix or intestines—these are some of the causes. Unless effective measures are taken to check the disease, chronic arthritis may progress to a state in which the victim is totally crippled and painfully deformed. That is just what happened in days gone by when the disease was not un- derstood. At the first signs of arthritis—stiff neck, lum- bago, stiffness or creaking of the joints—have an expert search for the source of the trouble. Avoid needless suffering. “rheumatic diseases”. working people of all ages and of both sexes, no less than one- sixth of the total “sick absences” during a year was due to And this was exclusive of loss of time due to heart disease developing from rheumatic fever that had workers of both sexes and all ages, the Metropolitan Life In- surance Company learned that of all the diseases causing lose of time from work “rheumatic diseases” head the list. much unnecessary suffering. A survey conducted in England showed that among 91,000 a Published by occurred during the childhood or youth of these workers. Send for our booklet “Rheumatic Diseases”. It will be mailed free and may be the means of saving you and your family HALEY FISKE, President. METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY ~NEW YORK Biggest in the World, More Assets, More Policyholders, More Insurance in force, More new Insurance each year comicbooks.com