The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-05-30
WAR UPON PLAGUE
MAKING PROGRESS
Tuberculosis Death Rate
Has Been Decreased the
Reports Show.
National News Association)

National News AsSociation)
WASHINGTON, May 3o.-With
medical and scientific experts from
all parts of the country present, the
eighth annual meeting of thhe Nation
al Association for the Study and Pre-
venution of tuberculosis convened
here in the auditorium of the New
Willard hotel today. The meeting was
the most largely attended in the his
tory of the organization, great inter
est being shown by the delegates in
the various subjects to &c discussed
during the two-day session.
The reading of papers began this af-
ternoon The first address was that
of Frederick Hoffman, chief statisi-
clan of the Prudential Insurance COM
pany, who offered his fluctuations to
the assembled foes of the White
Plague over the marked decrease of
the disease during the past year and
discussed 1.-THE Treatment and Care
of tuberculosis Wage Farmers in Ger
many"
Mr. Hoffman was followed by Her.
man NJ. Riggs, chief medical officer
of the New York city department OF
health, who spoke on the tuberculo-
sis death rate in large cities, demon
strating by means of comparative ia
BILE the decrease of the plague, and
Irving Fisher, Yale's professor of Eco
nomics, who read paper on the eco
nomic cost of tuberculosis.
A Systematic Fight.
Mr.. Hoffman, addressing the sociolo-
gical section of the association, stated
that the treatment OF tuberculosis
among Berman wage earners has
been question seriously considered
by the German government. He said
in part
Realizing the inadequacy of exist
ing institutions or methods and means
for the treatment of invalid members,
particularly those suffering from tu-
berculosis of the lungs, the insurance
institutions established public sana-
toria at their own expense, or furnish
ed funds at reasonable rates of in
terest for the establishment of such
institutions by municipalities or lar
ger administrative communities. On
account of the fact that tuberculosis
of the lungs is one of the chief causes
of physical impairment, with resulting
loss of earning power, the activity of
these insurance institutions in the
field of preventive effort and cure
have largely centralized upon the most
most important disease. The treat
ment and care is without expense to
the patient, who Is, however, required
to make not less than two hundred
weekly contributions to the invalidity
insurance fund. In addition to the
patients care, financial support is
provided for the patients family SO
as to relieve him from personal an
xiety and bring about the best possible
conditions for a cure.
"The effect of this systematic eff
fort for tuberculosis wage-earners is
shown in the steady decline in the
death rate from tuberculosis in the
German Empire as a whole. Taking
a group of large German cities, we
note that the death rate from tuber-
culosis per 10000 population has de-
creased from 346 in 1884 to 17.9 in
1909, and that it is now lower than
the death rate of a similar group of
American cities, whose rate in 1910
was 1885,
Plague Death Rate.
In his paper on The Death Rate
from tuberculosis in Large Cities
DR.. Riggs said in part:
There can be no doubt that the
rate of decrease in deaths from tuber.
culosis in numerous countries and CT
ties has been proportionate to the
activity and energy with which the
campaign for prevention has been car
ried on.
ut will be noted that the only one OF
these large cities in which there has
been an increase in the death rate
from pulmonary tuberculosis is in
Chicago. The most remarkable de-
crease, not only in the general death
rate but in the death rate from pull
monary tuberculosis has taken place
in London. 1t may be noted that the
death rate in Paris is more than three
times that of London and twice that
of New York and Berlin.
AS has often been pointed out, the
difficulties in the way of prevention
are far greater in New York than in
any other large city, but the results
which have been attained in these
recent years everywhere, where &C
tive campaigns have been carried on
are certainly most encouraging"
The paper on Revised Estimate OF
the Economic Cost of tuberculosis.
by Prof Fisher, reviewed for the so
Geological section the statistics of tn
berculosis since 1908, when Prof Fish
er gave a report on this subject be
fore the International Congress on Tu
berculosis. At that time, he showed
that tuberculosis costs the country ov
er billion dollars year. of which
- at least $440,000.000 and probabl,
much more, was borne by others thar
the victims of the disease.
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