Recent Researches on Arthritis and Rheumatism in the United States.

AMONG chronic diseases in the United States " rheumatism" ranks first in prevalence, second in producing disability, second in producing invalidity (permanent disability) and fourteenth in causing death. Among the 127,000,000 persons in the United States there are 6,850,000 with " rheumatism," considerably more than the combined figures of those with heart disease (3,700,000 cases), cancer and other tumours (930,000 cases), tuberculosis (680,000 cases) and diabetes (660,000 cases) altogether. Such were the figures obtained in a recent National Health Survey' in which " rheumatism included arthritis, gout, neuralgia, neuritis, lumbago, etc." Another survey reported that there were annually disabled about 1,500,000 Americans with "arthritis," and an additional 1,750,000 persons with neuralgia, neuritis and lumbago.2 These figures again indicate the enormous morbidity produced by the " rheumatic diseases."