Putnam patriot., 1908-10-16
Public Health and Conservation.

Professor Irving Fisher, the eminent political economist of Yale University, who, In one of his papers before the recent International Tuberculosis Con press In Washington declared that con sumption costs the people ot Inc lni- ted States more than billion dollars n year, Is preparing exhaustive report for the N ational Conservation Commits sion, which will contain not only these figures but similar data on the econo- mic loss to the country from all other pfesentable diseases.
 Prof. Fisher K n member Of the Ma tiona Conservation Commission, and for many years has been carrying on studies along these lines. The com mission received letters from physi- clans all over the country urging II to consider the bearing of public health on the economic efficiency of the nation in It's efforts to ascertain the resources of the country.
 The Commission from the beginning has contemplated reports on the econ omic aspects of several phases oi the conservation movement which affect the duration and effectiveness oi hu- man life, but Prof. Fisher has under taken to prepare a comprehensive state ment of the whole subject of the reia- tions of public health to the general field of conservation, and especially ss to the waste from preventable diseases and unnecessary deaths.
 Dr. Fisher Is Professor of Political | Economy at Yale University and chair | man of the "Gommittec of One Hum dred,' of the American Association for | the Adv ancement of Science, which | has for long time been carrying on propaganda for the increase of nation l al health through the elimination oi | preventahle diseases. This committee l of One Hundred Is composed oi phvsi- clans and men engaged tn active soeio- logical work In every part ot the coun- try. and the results of their investiga- tions and experience are all available to pr. Fisher, so that his report ought
 to ,be the most thorough-going and
 complete summary of the situation ever
 made.
 At the Tuberculosis Congress, froi.
 Fisher declared that iSs,Wp persons
 die of consumption every year. The cost of medical attendance and the loss of earnings before death average, al
 least Sa, ,AuO, he said, while If 10 this Is
 added the money that might have been
 earned with health-the total loss in
 each case is about $s,Op. He pointed
 out, also, that the disease usually at
 tacks young men and women just al
 the time when they are beginning to
 earn money, and cuts off their earning power for about three years on an aver
 age, before they dtc.
 | This subject of the economic value to
 the country of a general raising ot the
 average health came up in the Cover
 nor's Conference al the White. House tn
 May. Dr. George Nj. kooer, in his
 speech on the Conserv ation of Life
 and Health by improved Water sup
 plv," at the conference, presented nS'
 ures which showed that the decrease
 in the "vital assets of the country
 though typhoid fever, in single year
 k more than sssao. .eo,oo,
 Typhoid Is spread hy1polluted water,
 largely, so that the death rate rom
 this disease can he directly reduced oy
 the puriIication of city drinking water.
 Dr. koher quoted statistics to show
 tha, the increased value of the water
 io the city of Albany, where the "
 phoid fever rate wss reduced from iol
 in iao, o,u.o to ae by an efficient filtration plant, amounts 10 sssS,ou year, q