The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-12-09

patient is isolated, there is small chance
at present of being released, cured, fol
in tuberculosis it is matter of few
months, that they would be compelled
to remain under sanitarium care.
What is there, if there is anything
that makes it impossible or impractic,
able to follow this outf
Is it too Radical?
Is it too radical to quarantine
against plague or cholera-no, if we
neglected to quarantine against these
diseases, the very ones who say, ct this
is too radical would rise in loud
voiced protest.
Yet tuberculosis is killing as many
as plague or cholera combined.
Can it be too radical, when no other
means will stop its spread under our
present knowledge of the disease?
The Enormous Amount of Money
Required.
It would undoubtedly cost an enor,
nous amount of money, yet in a ques-
ton involving the lives of the people,
in preventive medicine, the cost is not
considered by any far-seeing, intelligent
law-making body, if the result will just
fly the expenditure.
DR.. c. c. Browning, Medical Director
Of Pottenger Sanitarium in an article
on s'Public Provision for incipient
eases of tuberculosis, etc, says:
sis it profitable for the public to
provide sanatoria and dispeRsaries?
tuberculosis claims most of its VIC
tins during the most valuable age to
the state, during the reproductive pc
Rod and the period Of productive
labor.
Biggs estimates the value of a hu-
man life to the state at this period at
$500, and think this is not excessive.
Based on this. let us consider the none
tarv value to the state of a sanatorlum
for incipient eases.
Basing this estimate on the work OF
the Massachusetts State Sanitarium, at
Rutland, the first state sanitarium TO
be established. we find about 30 per
cent. of all patients received are dis
charged as apparently cured and ~
per cent more improved. This percent
age, no doubt. would be greater were
the cases treated confined to the IN
cipient stage
If for each one hundred patients
treated for an average length of time
Of six months, fifty are discharged
cured and forty improved so that they
are restored to their earning capacity
for an average Of one year only, we
have a basis on which TO compute the
value 10 the state Of sanitarium If
they are saved. or the loss TO the state
If the disease runs an uninterrupted
course.
Furthermore. if the disease continues
to fatal determination there is a period
Of time Of loss Of earning power, which
may be conservativelv stated at ten
months, and another period during
which they must have care and treat
ment form others. If we place the loss
of wages for ten months at $50 per
day and care for six months S15G per
day additional. we have items Of ex-
pense which should be added to the
above. We viii have:
Fifty cases restored. valued
at $500 each. 81, 10000
Wages, 30 people, 10 months,
260 days at SI50...-.. $4,000.
Care of 30 people, 6 months,
$50 DAYS. at $I.50........ 13.50000.
Forty persons restored TO
earning capacity for one
year-3I3 days-at $50. 23,475,00
Total amount saved To the
the state each months
for each 100 persons treat
ed observation-disclosures
An average weekly saving
for each patient treated
6 months ..... $3.50
IF we estimate the average
weekly cost Of caring for
patients at .......... 1850
We have gain per week
for each patient. ....... $500
Or for each 100 patients con
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