The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-02-29
TUBERCULOSIS CAUSE
OF $500,000 LOSS
Investigation In Boston Shows How the
Disease Drains Resources of the
Individual and of the Com
munity.

An actual money loss in wages and
institutional care of $500,023.00 was sus-
tanned by the city OF Boston and by SOC
male consumptives studied by DIR. Ed
win A. Locke and DR.. Cleaveland Flovd
OF the out-patient department of the
Boston Consumptives' hospital This is
but one Of many interesting conclrl-
SONS presented by these physicians in
the March Journal of the Outdoor Life,
New York; the official organ of the
National Association for the Study and
Prevention of tuberculosis.
In order to ascertain the actual econ
omn' loss from tuberculosis, Drs. Locke
and Floyd selected at random, 500 male
cases, men who had visited the dis
pensary during the last five years. PA
Of the cases studied were dead when
the investigation was begun and 25G
were living Over Al per cent. of the
meE were between the ages of twenty
and thirty-nine
IL was found on May |, 1911, the date
OF the investigation, that the PA dead
men had each lost on an average of
5S.03 weeks of work from the time of
the onset of their disease until death.
TIE average weekly rate of wages of
these men was Sll.S9 and their total
loss in wages amounted to Sl70,965. The
256 living cases each lost on an average
St.3 weeks of work at an average wage
of Sll.38 or q total loss of S255,07l,
making S426,039 lost in wages alone by
both groups.
In addition to this large sum, it cost
the city of Boston 1884 to care for
these 500 men in its. public hospitals
and other institutions. This commu-
nifty loss is exclusive Of the large sums
that were spent by private organiza.
tons on 400 ont of these 500 cases. !.
422 Of the 500 men had families with
an average of 1872 members. Comment.
ing on this phase of the problem, the
investigators say:
The direct result on the family in
come of the disability of the chief
bread winner IS well shown by the COM
parison Of the total and average week
" income Of the 422 families before
the onset Of Illness and after the be-
ginning OF the stage of complete dis
ability In The first instance the total
wee bly income from all sources was
G.Sn12o or an average of $3.50. while
in the latter the total weekly income
was only S3.955.60, or an average Of
81 Sc, decline Of 65 per cent. One hun
bred and sixty-one families were with
out income of any sort during the
period of complete disability Of the pa
TENT. while the total weekly income
previous to this stage was $l,s77T5"
II to all of these losses were added
the Capitalized value of the earnings
cut off BY death" Drs. Locke and FLOYD
estimate that the loss Of the pa dead
,ases alone would bring the total up
10 nearly S2,000000 And if to these
500 cases actually studied were added
he $4,000 living cases i'm Boston, they
estimate the loss to the individuals and
he city would amount to many millions
ii dollars
These figures Of the economic loss
'aused by tuberculosis. they conclude,
,.esent the most complete justification
or the money Boston has spent in tn
lerculosis work, and show why other
on munities should not hesitate for fear
II expense to attack the tuberculosis !
problem.