| #ffffff;" /> | | | | time showed that, of the patients followed for at |
| In this program the Medical Division took advantage | | | | least 10 years after discharge from the Mount |
| of all new facilities and methods that science had | | | | McGregor Sanatorium; half were at work or still able |
| developed in the diagnosis and treatment of | | | | to work at the end of this period. |
| tuberculosis. Notable in this regard was the routine | | | | Among patients who had been brought under |
| use of fluoroscopy and X-ray in the examination of | | | | treatment in the early stage of the disease, and |
| employees since 1928. It was long suspected and | | | | whose condition on discharge from the sanatorium |
| eventually proved that X- ray procedures were the | | | | was considered satisfactory, the proportion was |
| only effective means of detecting tuberculosis in its | | | | nearly 80 percent. Among such ex-patients the |
| early stages. By the time actual symptoms appear | | | | subsequent mortality was little if any higher than that |
| the disease is usually well advanced. The long term | | | | of their fellow workers, who had a very low |
| results of routine fluoroscopy at the home office | | | | mortality. With a steady increase in the number and |
| were extraordinarily good. | | | | proportion of older employees, the medical division |
| Thus, while among applicants for employment the | | | | was alert to their medical needs. It instituted |
| proportion with tuberculosis, active or healed, | | | | procedures for the detection and care of those |
| remained constant in the period since the procedure | | | | presenting early signs of diseases, both physical and |
| was begun, the proportion among home office | | | | mental, which were characteristic of middle and later |
| personnel in the life insurance company and out in the | | | | life. |
| life insurance field declined sharply – by more | | | | At the same time it developed a systematic plan for |
| than 50 percent – in between the early 1930s | | | | the study of some of these conditions, especially of |
| and the early 1940s. Again, whereas before the | | | | heart disease and high blood pressure. As a first step |
| inauguration of routine fluoroscopy only 30 percent | | | | in a long range plan the medical division inaugurated, in |
| of the tuberculosis cases discovered among | | | | 1930, a more thorough and searching medical |
| employees were still in the early stage, this | | | | examination for employees reaching or already past |
| proportion had practically doubled by the 1940s, while | | | | age 40. Around the same time, new life insurance |
| far advanced cases have declined from 22 percent | | | | policies were being made available, such as no exam |
| to 5 percent of the total. | | | | term life insurance, for example. These life insurance |
| In fact, in that period of time not a single new case | | | | policies were made more available with the increasing |
| of far advanced tuberculosis was found among the | | | | improvements the Metropolitan was making in the |
| many thousands of home office employees. Thus | | | | public and the insurance company's overall mortality. |
| not only were new cases generally less advanced, | | | | This examination, which was repeated at least every |
| but they were appreciably fewer in number. Since | | | | year or two, included routine electrocardiographic and |
| the chances of complete recovery from the disease | | | | X-ray study of the heart. The individual’s |
| were best when patients are brought under early | | | | medical history was also reviewed. It was through |
| treatment, a greater proportion was successfully | | | | careful evaluation of all this information that many |
| treated and the time lost for treatment was | | | | instances of early or developing cardiovascular |
| markedly reduced. A study conducted around that | | | | disease were disclosed. |