In the United States up to the present time there has been no compulsory sickness insurance with the exception of those cases where occupational diseases are included in the scope of the workmen's compensation laws. There is, however, a growing sentiment that the interest of society in the matter of the sickness of its members is so important that it ought to take measures to see that they are insured against sickness. Compulsory sickness insurance has been in existence in Germany for more than thirty years and it has been recently adopted in England. It is to be expected that it will soon be tried in this country. The Germans distinguish between temporary sickness and invalidity. Sick benefits which were formerly paid for the first thirteen weeks of illness have been in recent years extended to cover a period of from six months to a year. The payments are made out of an insurance fund to which the employers have contributed one-third and the employees two-thirds. The benefit paid during sickness in Germany is one-half the wage. In addition to this, medical and hospital benefits are given. Under the English system of sickness insurance the state as well as employer and employee contributes to the insurance fund.