The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1911-08-03

Philadelphia l0G3 deaths and 9721 cases In
eFory case tho death rate has been terrible rs.
ms IN many instances. to several hundred per
100000 population.
inc L. s. Census Bureau report for 1905 shows
lao typhoid deaths in the registration area
ana Tor 1909 there wore 1922 deaths-an aver
ago or about ll,000 a years The registration
area includes only 81 per cent Of the total popu
Iation, and does not include the South where the
typhoid rate is very high. In ten southern states
the average rate has been 10. Twenty thousand
deaths year." says Or. William Gufoy, Regis.
trar OF Vital Statistics Of New York City, would
be very conservative estimate of the total an.
nual typhoid mortality" Certainly this is a con.
servative estimate, for the complete census OF
1900 showed $3.50 typhoid deaths that year,
For the sake Of being conservative however. let
us take DR., Gufoys figures They are large
enough.
The dead. 1t has long been held amount to not
more than one-tenth Of the total number OF those
stricken But recent studies" to quote Mr.
George c. Whipplo indicate only one death in
10 or IS cases" If wo allow one death for every
twelve casea-an estimate that Dr. Gullfoy Grys
is entirely within the mark--we shall have the
tremendous annual total of about 100000 cases
Think of lt-a quarter OF million people yearly
stricken with typhoid
Recall the largest parade you ever saw-say
one with $4,000 troops in linc-and think how
those serred ranks marched past hour after hour
until your eye grew tired OF watching them.
Then multiply that parade by ten, and imagine
what an enormous army 100000 persons would
make. That is exactly the size of the army, re.
cruited anew every year, that this country forces
to hght-typhoId fever.
Like any other army this army. too. costs
money In this case, though. the cost is In the
form OF economic loss. Statistics compiled by
the Connecticut Board OF Health show that ty.
phold carries people on in the years OF their
greatest earning capacity, IL per cent of the
deaths occurring to persons between the ages Of
20 and 40, and 60 per cent TO persons between 10
and 40.
The economic loss thus caused reaches stag.
gering total The cost of the epidemic at Plym.
outh, 1t Is shown by Professor Mason, amounted
to more than $4,000 divided as follows:
Loss of wages Of those who recovered. 81. $4,000
Cost of caring for the sick ............ $1,000
Years earnings of the dead. ............ 1910
sit55s9
In making this estimate however. allowance
was made for the loss OF only one years earn.
ings. An examination OF an insurance mortality
table shows that the man who dies before he Is
forty dies before his time. Hence his death
represents loss not of one years income but
Of many. Five thousand dollars is the sum at
which n life Is usually valued IN reckoning eco
homie loss The typhoid loss is based only on
the number Of those who die As Mr. George
Whippe points out there is an added loss occa.
stoned by non.fatal typhoid Illnesses that should
also be taken into account The average period
If typhoid convaescence, as figured from 500
'ases in Pennsylvania hospital, is ~ days
Hence loss Of wages plus cost Of medical at.
endance would easily average 500 for every
,erson who RECEIVERS, II ten recover for one who
lies, then an extra 81 900 must be added to the
5000 allowed for each death, making the total
loss caused by every typhoid death
5000
Figured on this basis the loss to many com.
nunties amounts to millions Of dollars yearly