The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1875-11-30
DRUNKENNESS.
Relation OF the Excessive or Habit
nal Uss ef Alcoholic Drinks 10 Pub
iae sasasss aAa Pusllc weisars.

In the session OF the American Pub
lie Health Association, at Baltimore,
on Thursday, November 18th, Homer
o. Hitcock. M. d., President Of the
Michigan State Board Of Health, pro-
duced very valuable paper, showing
an earnest and thoughtful inquiry as
to the effects Of the liquor traffic upon
public health and public welfare. A
selection has been made Of that portion
OF the paper which considers the econ
omics of the question::
What do the $4,000 deaths annually
caused by alchol cost the nation? The
average cost of burial cannot be less
than $40 per capita, giving the sum Of
$3.50, 900. These $1,000 persons should
have had, according TO table Of work
ing years calculated from life tables
by DIR. Edward Jarvis, and published
in the fifth annual report of the Massa-
chusetts state Board of Healthy, 37.46
years Of effective life. From the best
data obtainable we have been led to
conclude that alchol shortened the
lives Of those who used il habitually or
excessively, twenty-eight per cent.
As this percentage pertains to the whole
life, including both the developing and
the effective periods, il follows that
these 40, 900 persons having each lost
to the nation twenty-eight per cent. of
81. .46 years, or 16.08 years Of effective
life, giving q totsl Of $4,000 years.
These figures are much below the act
ual loss according to the expectancies
OF intemperate persons given above;
for, according to those expectancies of
the average loss of effective life is
twenty-three years, with a small frac-
ton. On this bases the annual loss of
the nation of effective life from alchol
is ], ,l29, 900 years. II each effective
year of life lie valued $50, the nation
loss on the first calculation sl17, ,050,-
600, and on the second, Sl69, ,050, 900.
English actuaries, from careful obser-
vation and calculations, estimate that
for every death there are two persons
constantly sick. We may therefore
calculate that for these $4,000 deaths
from alchol there are $50 constant
ly sick from the same cause. Thus in
single year, 9s, 900 years of effective
life are lost to the state, which, valued
at.s150 per year, gives loss of Sl4,-
700, 900. The cost Of the sickness at
the very lowest estimate, cannot be
less than $3.50 per year or total of
S14, 700, 900.
What do the insane caused by al
chol actually cost the nation each year?
We have already seen that in a moder-
ate estimate twenty-five per cent. of
the insane are made so by alcohol.
Thus 9,358 OF the "a, 532 insane per-
sons enumerated in the census tables
are thus caused. These represent in
each year loss of effective life of o.
35S years, which, valued at $50 per
year gives loss 10 the nation Of S1,-
403, 700. The average cost of mainte-
ing and caring for these people cannot
be less than 81 per week for each, which
is the average cost of the State asylums
of Massachusetts,. This viii represent
loss to the State OF 81 1865, $50. But
according to table constructed by Mr..
John Copeland, and also to the Eng
lish Life Tables Quoted by DIR. Ed
ward Jarvis, page 2S3 OF the Fifth An
nual Report OF the Massachusetts, State
Board OF HEALTHY, the average loss Of
effective life by their premature deaths
is 6,3 years each. Moreover, as those
made insane by alcohol are generally
made so at or before 40 years of age,
the loss Of effective life for the insane
should be based upon the loss in the
three first decades, viz: from twenty to
forty inclusive, which is an average for
each person, male and female, of 10.5
years. This gives total loss of effect
i've life for the 9, 1858 insane OF 9S, $50
years, which. at a value of $50 per
year, gives q loss to the. nation of a.
75S, $50. IL now we adopt Lord Shaft
esbury's estimate OF the percentage Of
insanity caused by alcohol, these fig
ures should all be increased by 140 per
cent, and We should have for loss of
effective life 235, S21 years, with an esti-
mated value of S35.373. .I59. The an
nual cost OF supporting the insane, rem
dered so by alcohol, would then be
raised to si,7l6, 432.
What does the nation lose by her idi-
OTIS, made so by alcohol? The whole
number Eof idiotic persons reported
in the census tables is "a, 527, OF which,
on the basis of DIR How's statistics, H.
953 are caused by alcohol-the degene-
rate offspring OF drunkards. IL we
correct these tables according to the
views OF +. Il. SanbuIp, we have as the
probable whole number OF idiotic per-
sons 35, ,040, and the number traceable
| to alcohol or its effects 17,0SO. The
average cost for the care and support
OF these unfortunates must be at least
$50 per year, making loss to the na-
ton. Of 81, $50, 200. Allowing that one
half of these persons, IL they we're not
| imbecile, would die before maturity,
aud thus would have no effective life,
there remains for the others a loss to
the nation of all the effective life to
which they should have been entitled,
or 81. 46 years each, giving a total loss
OF 3l9. .90s years, with an estimated value
Of S47, ,986, 200. As crime may be prop
erly considered in one sense but a
form or symptom of disease, and as 1t
has been and perhaps fairly shown that
at least three-fourths OF all the crimes
committed in this nation may be traced
more or less directly to the influence
| OF alcohol, in our estimate OF the losses
| of the nation from alcohol, the cost OF
the crimes annually in the country,
and traceable to the influence OF alco-
hol should DO included. Also their
cost in the direct destruction OF prop
erty. the loss Of effectivelife by murder
and the punishment of criminals, and
the cost of detecting, arresting aud
convictiDg and Furnishing the criminals.
Greatly to my regret have Mt hand nc
reliable data from which an approxi'
mate estimate of these immense losses
to- the nation may be computed.
think it is plain, however, that they
must he counted by hundreds OF mil
lions. The loss. too, Of accidents b,
sea and land annually caused by alco
hol, including loss of property destroy
ed and effective life lost by prematur'
death of those killed, would foot up t.
millions. Also, II pauperism be not
disease il certainly very close relation
to the diseases and diseased condition
of the system caused by alcohol, ant
the losses of the nation for pauperisn
thus caused should be also be include'
in this estimate. We have, however
no reliable data from which We ar
able to express these losses in figures
No doubt, however, the annual iosse
from crime, accidents and pauperisr
attributed TO alcohol would exceed 81,
O)O, 100000.
shall close this paper with a fe'
brief propositions which should b
glad to have freely discussed by thi
. association. II any subject demand
the immediate, careful, earnest, an
, practical consideration OF every branc
of the government-general, State,
munic D ll-follov cd by wise an EN- zen
, legislation, this does. Drunkenness
one OF the greatest injuries to the stat
aud as such should be punished %
FNIt a.. s..l .lrIl