Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-05-31
VIEW OF
WHITE PLAGUE
IRVING FISHER DISCUSSES COST
OF TUBERCULOSIS
Interesting Paper Read Before Ma
tional Association for the Study
and Prevention of tuberculosis, by
Professor of Economics at Yale.


Washington, d. c., May 3O-Irv-
in@ Fisher, Phi. d., professor of
economies at Yale University. read
a paper from the topic. "A Revised
Estimate Of the Economic Cost of
tuberculosis, before the sociological
section of he National Association
for the Study and Prevention of
tuberculosis. here today.
The paper reviewed the statistics
of tuberculosis since l 90S when Prof.
Fisher gave a report on this sub
| ject before the international Con-
gress on Tuberculosis. At that time
he showed that tuberculosis cost the
country over 81 900, ,O0O,0 900 a year,
of which at least $3.50 100000. and
probably much more. Awere costs
borne by others than the victims of
the disease.
These costs include the costs of
sickness and loss of earnings suffer
ed by the families whose wage-earn-
ers are first <rippled then killed by
the disease. NJ the same congress
Professor Wilcox estimated that the
losses to society from tuberculosis
were $3.50, 100000, and Professor
| Glover, of the University of Michi-
gan, showed hat the losses from
the deaths of men workers alone
were $42.00O,000 for every 500 Of
yearly earnings
All three of these Investigations
of four years ago are now con-
firmed by Professor Fishers estimate
for 1912, and they all substantially
agree in the conclusion that the an
nual actual monetary loss to society
from tuberculosis, without counting
the losses to the victims Of the dis
ease themselves, exceeds half a bill
lion dollars a year. The figure for
this social loss will reach at least
$50. 100000.
If in the same way we calculate
the losses to the victims themselves.
including losses before death and the
capitalized earning power cut off by
death, we reach a still larger sum,
making the total loss well above
billion a year These cold calcula-
lions take no account, of course, of
the fact that a mans life is worth
more to him than the earnings he ex-
poets it to bring, and that the loss
OF monetary support is not the chief
loss which widows and orphans su-
fer from The death Of a loved hus-
band and father
Nor does the calculation take any
account of the impairment of work
ing efficiency in the years preced-
ing the breakdown from tuberculosis.
According to DR.. Edward Baldwin,
of Saranac Lake, on the basis OF a
thousand cases treated at the Adiron-
dack Cottage Sanitarium, the in
cipient stage of tuberculosis usually
lasts about eight years, the moder-
ately advanced stage about five or
six years and the far advanced stage
over four years. 1t is only in the
last stage-in fact, only in the last
three years-that the monetary loss
es in Professor Fishers paper are
included During the last year and
half of his life dying of consump-
tive is usually not only unable to
earn anything, but is instead bur-
den on his family, while in the pre-
ceding 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 or tuberculosis
would be found to be considerably
greater.
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 con-
sumptives, especially incipient con-
sumptives. The 100000 expended
in this work has resulted in restor-
ing so much working power that al
READY those discharged from the in
stitution have earned $500, 900, and
Istill have a potential earning power
good for many times this amount
On the basis of this experience he
concludes that every dollar expended
tin such institutions saves in a short
time at least S.. 10 say nothing OF
1.-THE gains 10 the consumptive himself
At present about sl5, 5,000,000 a year
lis put into the tuberculosis fight in
49, T-pf+oa States Wbpn Spvarai