Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 February 1892 — Concerning Accidents. [ARTICLE]

Concerning Accidents.

The collection of large groups of facts about accidents, which has been made necessary by the development of accident insurance, has made a contribution to one department of social science that is by no moans uninteresting. For instance, says a writer in the Forum, it is a curious fact that a man is much more likely to lose his left hand than his right hand, or his left eye than his right eye. Statistics show, too, that when a man insures himself against accidents he thereby greatly diminishes the risk of accident —and this is probably explained in this way: When a man’s attention is called to danger he fixes his mind on it, and thereby consciously or unconsciously makes unusual effort to avert it. It therefore often happens that a man is more likely to be the victim of an accident of a kind that he never thought of than of the kind against which he insures himself. A man, for instance, who handles sharp tools will insure himself against an accident from the use of, .them, and the first thing he knows he will be drawing pay from an insurance company for an injury done By getting a cinder in his «ye. Not only are such odd and curious facts as theie brought to light by the development of accident insurance but a great many important groups of facts which bear upon the habits of men and the development of civilization. For instance* accidents are much more common in sparsely settled portions of the country than in densely settled portions, and they happen more frequently in the middle of winter and in the middle of summer than in the other seasons of the year.