The Harrison times., 1911-08-12


Philadelphia 1,063 deaths and 9,721 cases. In
every case the death rate has been terrible rs.
ing, in many instances, to several hundred per
100000 population
The U. s. Census Bureau report for 1908 shows
ll0I5 typhoid deaths In the registration area,
and for 1909 there were 1922 deaths-an aver
age OF about 1000 years. The registration
area includes only 81 per cent Of the total popu-
lation, and does not include the South, where the
typhoid rate is very high. In ten southern states
the average rate has been 70. Twenty thousand
deaths year." says Dr. William Gufoy, Regis
trar Of Vital Statistics of New York City, "would
be very conservative estimate of the total
nual typhoid mortality" Certainly this is con-
servative estimate for the complete census Of
1900 showed 35,379 typhoid deaths that year.
For the sake Of being conservative however let
us take DR.. Guilfoy's figures. They large
enough.
The dead it has org been held amount to not
more than one-tenth of the total number Of those
stricken. "But recent studies" to quote Mr..
George C. Whipple, indicate only one death IN
IS or IS cases" If we allow one death for every
twelve cases-an estimate that DR.. Gullfoy stys
is entirely within the mark-we shall have the
tremendous annual total Of about 100000 cases.
Think Of it-a quarter Of million people yearly
stricken with typhoid!
Recall the largest parade you ever saw-say
one with $4,000 troops in llne-and think how
those serried 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 25O,000 persons would
make That is exactly the size Of the army re-
cruted anew every year, that this country forces
to flght--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'
phoid carries people Off in the years Of their
greatest earning capacity, Al per cent Of tho
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 It is shown by Professor Mason, amounted
to more than $1l5,000 divided as follows
Loss OF wages Of those who recovered. =. $50 020
Cost Of caring for the sick ck.,............ $1,000
Years earnings Of the dead ............ 1S419
sl155S9
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 n loss not Of one years income but
Of many. Five thousand dollars is the sum mt
which life is usually valued In reckoning
nomic loss The typhoid loss is based only on
the number Of those who die As Mr. George
Whipple points out there is an added loss occa.
stoned by non.fatal typhoid illnesses that should
also he taken into account, The average period
of typhoid conyaescence, as figured from 500
cases in a Pennsylvania hospital, is 43 days.
Rence loss Of wages plus cost of medical at
tendance would easily average 500 for every
person who RECEIVERS II ten recover for one who
dies, then an extra $1,000 must be added to the
$4,000 allowed for each death making the total
economic loss caused by every typhoid death
$4,000
Figured on this basis the loss to many com.
munues amounts to millions OF dollars yearly