Albuquerque citizen., 1907-09-12
Average Amount a Profes-
sional Man Is Obliged to
Spend to Keep UP Per-
Sondl Appearance.
OFFICE EXPENSES
ARE ONE BIG ITEM
Cost of Food, Clothing and Incl
dentdlS Runs Total Up Into
sThree Thousand Column
Which Is About His
Annual Income.

What does it cost the average pro-
fessional man and his family to live?
At first thought it would seem that
such a family could live handsome
ly on a salary or an income amount
ing to $4,000 a year, but when II
comes down to figuring UP actual
expenses, a new light is brought 10
bear on the subject The struggles
of a young doctor or lawyer in work
ing up a practice are familiar to all;
it often takes five or six years be-
fore he can gain a practice Whlch
will insure him of a comfortable liV-
ing, and this only after he mas un-
dergone a big expense acquiring his
professional education. For the pur-
pose of illustrating the cost of maln=
tanning a doctors establishment, sew
eral local physicians were interview
ed by a Citizen reporter and the fol-
lowing is the report of one family
which seemed to be the best average
of the several. A few doctors OF
this city live cheaper than one herein
cited, but the majority by reason OF
having large families, are compelled
to spend much more:
DR.. Blank has been practicing
medicine five years in this city ana
his average income is less than $3,-
900 a year; he is married, but has no
children; he does not own his own
other than what he earns by the
practice of his profession. The fam
lily makes no attempt to move in So
ciety, but lives in a manner on
par with the station of the average
professional man. The family lives
in a rented house in a good neigh
borhood, but they keep no servant,
the wife doing all her own house
work except washing and heavy
cleaning.
Office Expenses.
In the first place first class
equipment for a doctors office costs
from $1,000 upward. In the present
instance, the Doctors equipment rep
resents a value of about $1,000. The
operating table cost S110; a nebu-'
lizer, SIS; an electric cabinet, $50;
the instrument case. $40: library,
$4O0; instruments, $3.50; office furni-
ture and other fixtures about $500.
There are physicians and surgeons in
this city whose instruments and IL
braries alone far exceed $1,000 in
value.
DR.. Blank pays $2S a month for
office rent "a for janitor service; SO
for office telephone; $3.50 for cleo
trio light; 81 for gas; 95c Tor insur-
ance on fixtures; 81 month for
medical journals, and periodicals for
his reception room, and an average
of $12 a month for new medical
books. His office consists of two
rooms, a reception room and an op.
Grating room; his office fixtures and
furniture are not elaborate, but
neither are they cheap, the chairs
being leather-covered and the other
pieces rather heavy. The total
monthly expense of maintaining this
office is $47,45.
Necessary Vehicles.
DR.. Blank keeps horse and
h1 Inn M them him
self He pays about $S a month for
horse feed; $1.50 for shoeing; 81 for
barn rent and about 81 a month for
repairs on harness and buggy, total
of $3.50 for maintaining horse
and buggy. For SIS a month the
horse and vehicle may be cared for
at a livery stable and brought to the
doctors door at any time he may
wish it,
Several physicians in this city keep
automobiles and one of these inform
ed the Citizen reporter that his ex-
pense in maintaining his car is about
$17 a month. This doctors machine
cost him $3.50; he uses 25 gallons Of
gasoline a month which amounts to
$3.50; two new tires a year which
cost $50 apiece; eight inner tubes,
costing $3.50 apiece and IL costs
about $50 a year for general repairs.
On the whole an automobile is not
much more expensive than keeping a
horse and is vastly more convenient.
Dr Blank belongs to two medical
societies, the BernalillO County Medi-
cal society and the American Medi-
can association. All physicians and
surgeons of good standing in the
community and graduates Of stand
ard medical colleges are eligible to
membership in the county society
and all members of the county medi-
cal societies are eligible to the ma
tional or American medical associa-
tion. The membership fee In the lat
ter is IS year and includes a sub
scription TO the American Medical
Journal. The membership fee in the
county society is S4 a'year
Household Expenses.
For a small cottage in a respec-
table quarter of the city DR.. Blank
pays $3.50 a month rent his month
ly grocery bill averages $2l; meat
$3.50 This is a small amount 10
spend for this article of food, buJ
neither Dr. nor Mrs. Blank care much
for meat; $3.50 a month goes for
milk and cream and the family uses
from six TO a dozen eggs a day, but
as they keep chickens. this item is
not charged up In their expense
list Chicken feed, however cost SO
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