Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-06-01
MONETARY LOSS FROM Tu6ER.
CULOSlS HALF BILLION A
YEAR, SAYS FISHER.
CONFERENCE IS HELD
National Association for Study ana
Prevention Of tuberculosis Be-
gins Sessions at Washing.
ton Today.

,
! "A Revised Estimate of the Economic
Cost Of tuberculosis before the so
Geological section Of the National AS
ISOLATION for the Study and Prevention
Of tuberculosis, here today.
| The paper reviewed the statistics I
! tuberculosis since 1908, when Profess
sor Fisher gave report on this sub
ject before the international congress
on tuberculosis. At that time he
show ed that tuberculosis costs the
country over $1000,0 100000 year, of
which at least 40,000,000, and prob
ably much more, were costs borne by
others than the victims of the disease.
These costs include the costs OF
sickness and loss of earnings suffered
| by the families whose wage carriers
are first crippled and then killed by
the disease At the same congress
Professor Wilcox estimated that the
losses to society from tuberculosis
were $3.50 00O,00 and Professor Glover
Of the University of Michigan showed
| that the losses from the deaths OF men
| workers alone were $42.000,O00 for
every 500 Of yearly earnings.
| Diseases Cost Half Billion Year.
|
four years ago are now confirmed by
Professor Fishers estimate for 1912.
| and they all substantially agree in the
conclusion that The annual actual mon
etary loss to society from tuberculosis
without counting the losses to the vic
| tins of the disease themselves. ex-
ceeds half billion dollars a year. The
figure for this social loss will reach
at least $570,o00,o0o.
If in the same way we calculate the
losses to the victims themselves, In
Guiding losses before death and the
capitalized earning power cut off by
death, we reach a still larger sum,
making the total loss we'll above oil
| lion year These cold calculations
take no account, of course, Of the act
that mans own life is worth more
to him than the earnings he expects
! it to bring, and that the chief loss
which widows and orphans suffer
from the death of a loved husband
and father.
} Nor does the calculation take any
account Of the impairment Of working
efficiency in the years preceding the
breakdown from tuberculosis. Accord
| IL
Lake, on the basis of thousand cases
treated at the Adirondack Cottage san
itarium, the incipient stage Of tubercu-
losis usually lasts about eight years.
the moderately advanced stage five or
six years, and the FAR advanced stage
over four years. It Is only in the last
| stage-in fact only In the last three
years that the monetary losses In
Professor - ~''o paper are included.
During the >ar and half OF his
life the d. 'sumptive Is usually
not only W 70 earn anything, but
is instead burden on his family,
while in the preceding year and half
he is, on the average, earning only
one-half his normal wages. If we could
measure the impairment Of earning
efficiency in the many years which
usually precede the visible onslaught
of the disease the cost Of tuberculosis
would be found considerably larger.
Pays to Save Lives.
/ Professor Fisher showed that in the
GAYLORD Farm sanitarium, with which
he is connected. it actually pays the
state of Connecticut in cold cash to
save the lives of consumptives, espe
cially incipient consumptives. The
5000, 900 extended in this work has re-
suited in restoring so much WORKING
power that already those discharged
from the institution have earned $500.
900, and still have potential earning
power, good for many times THIS
amount. On the basis of this expert
ence he concludes that every dollar ex
! pended in such institutions saves In
a short time at least IS, to say moth
ing of the gains to the consumptlve
himself. At present about $15,OO0,OOt
a year is put into the tuberculosis
fight in the United States. When sew
eral times this amount is invested
enough to isolate or. at any rate. "edu
cate" every one of the million-odc
consumptives in the United States
now spreading infection-we may ex
pect to see the beginning Of the enc
! of the great white plague.
Insurance Man Talks.
"The treatment and care of tubercu
olssi wage-earners in Germany" was tht
subject of a paper read by Frederick l
Hoffman, an insurance statistlclan o.
Newark, N. j., before the Sociological
Section of the National association TO-
the study and prevention OF tuber
culosis, whose meeting opened here to
day. Mr.. Hoffman said, in part:
, The treatment and care OF tubercu
lous wage-earners in the German EN-
pire has been question OF serious
Government concern for many years
Since practically the entire wage-earn
! ling population is subject to the com
5 pulsory invalidity insurance laws, tn
prevention of invalidity or disabilit!
5 resulting from disease is obviously o
the utmost economic Importance. Un
der the law of 1899 the invalidity in
, surance Institutions are authorized t
undertake the treatment and care
/ invalid members, providing that Their
t is a reasonable assurance that the pa
2 !tient's wage-earning capacity Will b
4 restored and preserved for reason
able. period of time. Realizing tn
inadeauacy Of existing institutions
methods and means for the treatmen
s of invalid members, particularly thos
i suffering from tuberculosis OF tn
). lungs, the insurance institutions es
Itablished public sanatoria at their ow