The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-12-14
Poor consumptives Cause Vast Loss

TUT OOIouflHhtNCo OddoC vast LOoo
Sixteen states and territories of the
United States provide no place where
the poor consumptiye can be treated,
expect in jails and insane asylums.
This statement together with another,
to the effect that not one in thirty of
the victims of consumption who want
to get in hospitals can find a place
there, a fact which will mean a loss
to the country of $l,2T5,O00000 is
made by the National Association for
the Study and Prevention of Tubercu-
losis in a bulletin issued today
The National Association states
that there are I'm the United States at
least 100000 consumptives who are so
poor that they cannot pay for proper
medical treatment In tuberculosis
sanatoria and hospitals. Some of
them can pay small amounts a week
for their maintenance but the great
majority of them cannot pay any
thing For this large class Of patti
ents the entire country has provided
only 10000 beds for the free treat
ment of tuberculosis In Alabama,
Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi,
Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Ok
lahoma, Oregon Philippine Islands.
South Dakota, Texas, Utah. West Vir-
I ginia and Wyoming there is no place
where the consumptive without
means can be treated but in jails or
insane asylums and In most cases he
Nill get no treatment there Sixteen
/ other states provide less than 80 beds
each for poor consumptives. In only
/ two states, Massachusetts and New
/ York have beds for needy tuberculo-
I sis patients been provided, so that
! at least one in ten may find a place
! for treatment In many OF the other
] states, not one in so of the destitute
consumptives can find bed in a hos
I pital or sanatorium
II costs on an average about $3.50
/ to cure an incipient consumptive or
| to care for an advanced case until
\ death. If he is left in destitute cir
/ cumstances without proper attention,
/ he will surely infect with his disease
I at least two other persons aud possib-
/ ly more. Considering that the aver
! age life is worth to society in dollars
and cents, about $500. the net loss
which would accrue to "a community
/ by not treating its poor consumptives
I in proper institutions would be for
/ each case. including those who are
4 unnecessarily infected, at the very
/ lowest figure S425O. On this basis,
/ If the poor consumptives in the Uni
/ ted States who are now sick were Sc
/ gregated from their families and eth
/ er kept in institutions until they died,
/ or else cured of their disease the
saving to the country would be the
enormous sum Of Sl,275, 100000
Consumption is primarily a poor
mans disease Dr. Woods Hutchin
son of New York City says; Roughly
/ speaking, the incipient tuberculosis
patient can buy as many chances of
fresh air and cure as he has money
( The percentage of deaths from con
sumption among the poor is 100 per
cent higher than among the well to
( do and the rich 81 Der cent OF the
consumptiyes in the United States
are too poor to provide proper means
I for treatment They must either be
I placed in a sanatorium or a hospital
( where they can be removed from the
{ possibility of injecting other members
of their families or the loss resulting
from neglect to care for these poor
consumptives viii he twice or three
times as great as would be the case
if they were properly housed in insti
buttons. -M VI
The National association for the
Study and Prevention of tuberculosis
/ declares that If every county or town
ship should erect an institution for
the treatment of INDECENT cases of
consumption, this disease would be
wiped out in few years.