The Red Cloud chief., 1911-08-24

Philadelphia 1063 deaths and s72l cases. In
every case the death rate has been terrible ris.
ing, IN many instances to several hundred per
100000 population
The U. s. Census Bureau report for 1908 shows
ll,375 typhoid deaths in the registration area,
and for 1909 there we're 10722 deaths-an aver
age Of about 1900 a 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 Guilfoy. Regis.
trar Of vital Statistics of New York City. would
be very conservative estimate Of tho total an.
nual typhoid mortality" Certainly this 10 q con.
servative estimate. for the complete census Of
1900 showed $3.50 typhoid deaths that year.
us take Dr.. Guilfoy's 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.. Whipple. indicate only one death In
twelve cases--an estimate that Dr. Guilfoy says
is entirely within the mark-we shall have the
tremendous annual total Of about 250.000 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 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 an enormous army 100000 persons would
make. That ia 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 10 In the
form Of economic loss Statistics compiled by
the Connecticut Board Of Health show that ty.
phoid carries people OF In the years of their
greatest earning capacity, II per cent Of the
between
20 and 40. and go per cent to persons between 10
and 4O
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 S115.O00. divided as follows:
LOSS Of wages of those who recovered. $4,000
Cost Of caring for the sick. ............. $1,000
Years earnings OF the dead. ........,... 1S,419
$ll56S9
In making this estimate. however allowance
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 life Is usually valued In reckoning eco
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 be taken into account. The average period
of typhoid convalescence. a. figured from 500
cases in a Pennsylvania hospital. 10 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 1900 must be added to the
$1,000 allowed for each DEATH making the total
economic loss caused BY every typhoid death
$4,000.
Figured ON this basis tho loss to many com.
munities amounts to millions Of dollars yearly,