The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-12-08

expenses does not include the actual
money expended for the care OF the
consumptiyes outside OF institutions;
still less does 1t include the economic
loss to our country by the premature
deaths OF tuberculous individuals. OF
the estimated 10000 who die annual
ly from tuberculosis In the United
States, venture to say $4,000 have
been bread-winners and estimating
the value Of such q single life to the
community at only about $500, this
makes loss OF $75,O00.000 each year.
Another $4,000 represents the chill.
dren of school age; for It has been
estimated that OF the 20.000,000 school
children, 100000 have tuberculosis
and the $4,000 who die yearly, do SO
without having been able to give their
parents any return. Making the aver.
age during their young life about 10
years and estimating the cost to par
ents and community at only 5000 per
year, the community loses another
$75, O00,0 900 becaues 1t has not pre-.
vented perventable and durable dis
ease in childhood.
am not figuring In dollars and
cents the cost of little babies who die
in infancy The suffering, misery.
tears and agony of those afflicted
with the disease Itself. But l trust
that the cold figures that have CIV
en-, showing the economic loss and our
knowledge OF the suffering which Is
caused in body and mind to untold
numbers because of this dfyease, will
inspire us to look a little more closely
into the prevention of the disease.
Inherited Susceptibility.
mentioned a short time ago that an
inherited susceptibility to the disease
was a predisposing cause and VIII
endeayor to explain what is meant by
1t. Medical authorities have proven
almost conclusively that child 1s
never born tuberculous, but " reason
of the very fact that the offspring Is
born Of tuberculous parent, 1t comes
into the world with the resisting pow
err Of it's body below the normal and
If the parents are poor, living IN un-
hygienic quarters, uninstructed In the
prevention of the spread Of tupercu-
losis, careless about the expectoration
from the tubercular one, the chances
are SO to 1 the offspring will contract
the disease and die unless properly
cared for in time.
A young man and young woman
meet, love and marry, neither knows
ANYTHING OF the others physical condl-
ton. The law in most OF our states
does not demand d certificate OF health
prior to entering the matrimonial
state. The young woman may nave
worked In shop or factory wnere
the hours were long and conditions
were very unsanitary from the age at
which the law permitted her to work.
| I'm some states this age is the age OF
childhood.) The young man, labor
er, skilled artisan or clerk with a
modest income, owing to high rents
and the high cost of living, must take
/ his bride to crowded quarters, and
] when in the natural course Of events
children arrive, what are the chances
of these children II either Of the par
ents happen to be tubercular? 1t Is
sad chance indeed these Children have.
According to a careful study made
by DR.. James Miller and DR.. ]. Ogden
| Woodruff Of New York, children OF tu-
bercular parents who live in close as
ISOLATION with such parents have been
found to be positively tuberculous In
81 per cent Of cases. Given child
robbed Of its normal vigor by reason
Of tubercular mother we readily see
unless the child Is taken from Its tu-
bercular parent and put in an ideal en-
yironment. or the mother and child
are able to leave the unhygienic sur
roundings and be placed in such con
ditions as surely and lastingly to cure
the mothers tubercular trouble and
the child's inherited predisposition
the mortality statistics Of tuberculosis
will be increased by two.