Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-11-05
El1Rnttt9 Gltat

If there is such a thing as reck-
oning the value of lives lost through
sickness, the potential value as ex-
perts call it, Harrisburg stands in
a fair way to lose two and a haSf
million dollars as a result of thu
i~nflenza epidemic. First and last
it is feared by medical men that
the death rate in Harrisburg and in
the districts Immediately adjacent to
it, but not including Steelton, will
run close to 500. The generally ac-
copied value of a life is $4,000. OF
course, many of those who died in
our midst we're children, but on
the other hand lives of greater serv-
ice to the community and to fam
lilies were taken and the sad average
is more than maintained. This is
one of the most melancholy facts
about the epidemic which is Off
cially held to have passed it's worst
phases in Harrisburg to-day. The
disturbance in business is hard to
reckon. No n seems to want to
figure out monetary loss when the
terrible death rate is considered.
And yet, Harrisburg, according to
people at the Capitol is fortunate,
compared to some communities. 1t
will be a work of weeks to collect
the data on cases and deaths, which
the medical men will assemble for
study, but enough is known to war
rant the assumption that deaths
were about 1000 a day in the Key
stone state in October. Cases of in
fluenza, many of which turned into
pneumonia are known to have gone
we'll on the way to a quarter of a
million. Just what this has mean
20 a state like Pennsylvania, which
is bearing so much of the burden
of production for the val and given
over $685. 600 men to the army and
| navy is appalling to consider. The
prayer in Harrisburg is hat such 4
thing as influenza will never come
again.
In regard to influenza the Phila-
deIphia Evening Bulletin makes this
trite observation: AT least there
should be rigid enforcement of the
regulation requiring physicians to
report promptly every case of in1u-
enza to which they are called. With
full allowance for the common eX-
aggeration of numbers in any pub
lie report or estimate, and for the
distinction of the medical profess
sions between bad colds and actual
influenza, the number OF cases re-
ported seems inadequate as a meas
ure of the spread of the disease. 1t
may easily be understood that the
sudden stride of the plague which
taxed the doctors of the city almost
beyond their physical ability, pre-
vented the full and prompt report OF
cases which otherwise would have
been made. But, as in the case OF
the quarantine, if we turn back to
the beginning Of the scourge, an
immediate report of each case would
have been possible. 1t would have
been made, had the first case been
one Of smallpox. Why should 1t
not be if this disease show itself
in this city again, whether 1t be
next spring, or another fall?'
Samuel Robb. a Pennsylvania
railroad ma residing at Dauphin,
mas given the people at the State
Department OF Agriculture m
thing to think about in the way of
turnips and the people at that office
who are up to date on the produce
of Pennsylvania say that they are
| thinking of bestowing first honors.
Mr.. Robb sent to the department a
few days ago a turnip which they
thought was two turnips. 1t weighs
| something over eleven pounds and
the people on the Hill want to pre-
serve it.
The fire on Blue Mountain which
has beer giving the people above
Enola some uneasiness is the first
to occur on that section of the
ridge that forms the big gap in q
long time. Some of the people liv-
ing in the railroad town have gone
out to fight it but say that it is Il