The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1912-03-08
500 CONSUMPTIVES CAUSE HALF
MILLION LOSS
Boston Investigation shows How Tu-
bercuIOsis Drains Resources Of In
diTidual and Community.

diTidual and Community.
An actual money loss in wages and
institutional care or $500, 023.00 was
sustained by the City OF Boston and
by 500 male consumptives studied by
DIR. Edwin = Locke and Dr. Cleve-
land Floyd of the Out-Patient Depart
ment OF the Boston ConsumptiVes
Hospital. This ig but one OF many
interesting conclusions presented by
these physicians in the March Journal
Of the Outdoor Life, (NeW York;, the
official organ OF The National Agsoci-
alton for the Study and Prevention OF
Tuberculosis.
In order to ascertain the actual
economic loss from tuberculosis, Drs.
Locke and Floyd selected at random
500 male cases, men who had visited
the dispensary during the last five
years. 244 of the cases studied were
dead when the investigation was be
gun and 256 were living. Over #
Der centof the men were between the
ages Of twenty and thirty-nine.
III was found on May a, 1911, the
date of the investigation, that the 244
dead men had each lost on - aver
age Of $500 weeks OF work from the
time OF the onset of their disease IN
til death. The average weekly rate OF
wages OF these men was $11-89 and
their total loss in wages amounted to
$17O,965. The 256 living cases each
lost on an average 1913 weeks OF
work at an average wage Of $11-38
or a total loss or $255,074, making
$426,O39 lost in wages alone by both
groups.
In addition to this large sum, it cost
the City OF Boston $73,984 to care for
these 500 men in its public hospitals
and other institutions. This cOmmuni-
ty loss is exclusive Of the large sums
that were spent by private organiza-
lions on 400 out Of these 500 cases.
422 OF the 500 men had families with
an average Of 4.32 members. Com
menting 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 Ia well shown by the
comparison OF the total and average
weekly income of the 422 fanM les
before the onset OF illness and after
the beginning of the stage Of complete
disability. I'm the first instance the
total weekly income from all sources
was $6807.29 OF an average of $3.50,
while in the latter the total weekly in
come was only $305.60 OF ar average
Of $7.S6, decline Of IS per cent. One
hundred and sixty one families were
without income Of any sort during the
period of complete disability of the
patient, while the total weekly in
come previous to this stage was
$1877.75."
If to all of these losses were add
ed the Capitalized value OF the earn
ings cut Off by DEATH" Drs. Locke and
Floyd estimate that the loss OF the
244 dead cases alone would bring the
total up to nearly $Z,000,000. And if
to these 500 cases actually studied
were added the $4,000 living cases
in Boston, they estimate the loss
to the individuals and the city would
amount to many millions OF dollars.
These figures of the economic loss
caused by tuberculosis, they conclude,
present the most complete iustifica-
ton for the money Boston has spent
in tuberculosis work, and show why
other communities should not hesitate
for fear Of expense to attack the tu-
berCulOsis problem.