The Elbert County tribune., 1911-08-04

i
Philadelphia 1.O63 deaths and 1921 cases In
every case the death rate has been terrible ris-
ing In many instances, to several hundred per
100000 population
me U. s. Census Bureau report for 1908 shows
1875 typhoid deaths in the registration area
and Tor 1909 there 1912 deaths-an aver
age of about IL 900 years. The registration
area includes only 81 per cent of the total popu-
lation and does not include the South where the
yphoid rate is very high. In ten southern states
the average rate has been 70. Twenty thousand
deaths year." says DR.. William Guilfoy 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-
servatve estimate, for the complete census Of
1910 showed 35,379 typhoid deaths that year
For the sake of being conservative, however, let
us take DR.. Guilfoy's figures They are large
enough.
The dead. 1t has long been held, amount to not
more than onetenth of the total number of those
stricken. But recent studies,' to quote Mr.
George c. Whippe, Indicate only one death in
10 or IS cases." If allow death for every
twelve cases-an estimate that DIR. Guilfoy ssys
is entirely within the mark-we shall have the
tremendous annual total of about 100000 cas,,s
Think Of it-a quarter of a million people yearly
stricken with typhoid
Recall the largest parade you ever saw-say
one with $4,000 troops in line-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 enormous army 900 persons would
make. That is exactly the size of the army re-
cruited anew every year, that this country forces
to fght-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 the
deaths occurring to persons between the ages of
20 and 4o and 60 per cent to persons between 10
and 40.
The economic loss thus caused reaches a stag
gering total. The cost of the epidemic at Plym
outh 1t is shown by Professor Mason amounted
to more than $115OOO, divided as foows
Loss of wages of those who recovered. :. $30020
Cost of caring for the sick. k.............. $1,000
Years earnings of the dead ............ 1s419
s1155s9
In making this estimate, however. allowance
was made for the loss of only one years
ings. An examination of insurance mortality
table shows that the men who dies before he Is
forty dies before his time. Hence his death
represents loss. not of years income but
of many. Five thousand dollars is the sum at
which life is usually valued in reckoning eco
nomic loss The typhoid loss is based only
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 be taken into account. The average period
OF typhoid convalescence. figured from 500
cases In Pennsylvania hospital, is 43 days.
Hence 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 81 900 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 con-
munites amounts to millions OF dollars yearly.