Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-03-31
One Hundred Millions a Year!

SEVENTY FOUR thousand doctors Think
of it. All this number in our country, ac-
| cording TO the present census, unless the
newspapers inform us falsely. In 1860
there were fifty-fve thousand-an increase
of 10000 in ten years, or nearly two thou
sand year!
Ought not these figures to "give us
pause?' Reflect q moment what an army
they would make, even in this day of big
armies; or what city they would form,
larger than any in many of the Oldest
| States.
Or, look at it again from another point
of view. What mint of money it takes
to support this army! Probably we are
within the mark when we calculate that
the average income of the $4,000 from prac-
| tlce Is thousand dollars year each.
This makes $74,000,C00 year, which the
sick pay for medical advice. For their
medicines it is safe to say they pay the odd
| $26,000,000 which remains to make up
| $lC0,O0J,0 900 a year, as what sickness costs
the American people. And in this calcu
lation NE have left altogether out of ac-
count the tons and hogsheads of quack
medicines which this misguided people
pour down their throats We can safely
estimate that at $25, 900 900 year more.
awhile, and then reflect that probably one
half, or certainly large fraction of this
expense, is incurred by deliberate in
fraction of the laws of health that if they
| tippled less, smoked less, over-worked
| less, were less given to debauchery, ate
slower, were less fast" ," and less self-in-
dulgent, they would save some thirty or
forty millions year.
Making money is, in America, the "chief
end of man." and plenty of advisers are
ready with their wise saws how it can be
accomplished. We are one OF them, and
offer saw quite as true, and less trite than
any of them, and it is this-keep healthy.
Living in the midst of a commercial mart,
and in the thick of the desperate conflict
| for wealth, we have seen many hero in
the fight lose all for want of health lose
it, perhaps, just at the moment when a
month or two more of work would have
made fortune,
1t is said that when Alexander vi. died
his son, the famous Caesar Borgia, had ev.
cry provision made to sieze the supreme
power and make himself master of Italy
that he had every possible contingency
guarded, but one, and that was his owI
physical inability to take advantage of the
crisis. But sickened to threatening illness
| NY lnO ndluC pOloOhCN VIM htAiCN
his father, he lost his chance and died de
feated, an exile and a captive. 1t wer'
we'll if many an American business maj
took warning by the moral which thi
fragment of history conveys, and woulC
remember that the labor of a life may b.
lost by the preventable illness of week.
Medical and Surgical Reporter.
The following amusing incident latel,
occurred in villagein Ireland. A servan
girl went into Diapers shop to purchas
some ribbon. The shopman produced
very fine article, but she objected to it o.
the ground that the shade of the color di
not exactly suit her. "Oh," said the shoI
man, "if you will only imagine that
pleases you the color will make no diffel
ence." And he entered into disquisitio
upon the extraordinary power of imagini
tion. The girl heard him through very a
tentively, and then consented to have thre
} or four yards of the ribbon put up. Sh
: put it quietly in her pocket aud was abou
! to walk Off "Stop, If you please" sal
the shopman, "you haven't paid for III
ribbon" "Never mind" was the repl
"jist imagine that paid, and it will mai
no difference"