The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-07-30
DISEASE COSTS
BILLIONS A YEAR
Economic Loss From Preventable
Ailments Is Estimated at
Enormous Figure.
BASED ON STUDY IN ILLINOIS
influenza Epidemic Responsible for
Economic Loss In Vital Assets of
Approximately $t,ooo,ooo,ooo
Health Means Money.

approximately $1,OOO,O0o,OOO
Health Means Money.
New York.-Economic loss In this
country from preventable diseases is
estimated by American Medicine at
$500 100000 year. This conclusion
is based on an elaborate study of the
subject by Illinois Health News, which
shows that in 1918 in Illinois alone Ill
ness and death from such diseases en-
tailed loss of $2467 for each man,
woman and child in the state. Although
the general death rate in Illinois was
at the low figure of 14.2 per 1000 Of
population, the loss from the prin-
| cipal preventable diseases amounted
to $15,SS1 .685, or sol per cent of the
total property value of the state.
"If this ratio OF per capita cost"
American Medicine says, were to
apply for the entire United States
the loss during 1913 would amount to
more than $2.500,O00OO0. The Illinois
figures, however, merely considered
the cost of the following commune
cable diseases: Typhoid, malaria,
smallpox, measles, scarlet fever.
whooplng cough, diphtheria, menin-
gifts. poliomyelitis, tuberculosis and
pneumonia.
"In computing the financial cost,
three items were involved: "a The cost
of funerals based at 500 for adults
and $50 for children; (2) the value of
life lost at $1,000 for an adult and $500
for child; 90 the cost of care of
those who recover, including medical
service for adults.
Utilizing the same figures for the
putation on the basis of the United
States mortality figures for 1916, the
death losses from these ten diseases
(poliomyelitis not included) amounted
to approximately $570,000Q00 and the
losses due to medical care and wages
to approximately S107S,0o0
"The recent epidemic of Influenza
involved at least ten million persons,
with mortality of approximately AGO.
600. Assuming that each case of ILL
ness involved only $50 for medical
care, the cost would be S250000,000.
Pestilence Adds Another Billion.
'Inasmuch as the mortality from in
fluenza Involved approximately three
persons of working age to one child,
one may consider the average loss by
death equivalent TO $1,000. and the
funeral expenses AT 500, giving thus
total economic loss in vital assets of
approximately 81 000,000000 These fig
ures, large as they are, take no ac-
count of the losses in production due
to the pestilence. nor, indeed, of the
cost of labor turnover due to the NOR
tally of industrial workers.
These tremendous costs of COM
municable diseases may be regarded
In part as an index of the economic
efficiency of communities. II certainly
does not reflect great interest or care
in the conservation of the assets Of
the community to note the astonishing
destruction of resources due TO pre-
ventable communicable diseases.
ut is probably a shock to the con-
sentative thinker about economic
Der OF industrial accidents reported to
the New York state industrial COM
mission for the year 1917-191S was
2S6,871. number larger than the total
casualties of our American army oc-
cupied In the strenuous work of con-
querlng pitiless foe. 1t is of the ut
most significance that war, with all its
atrocities, is probably responsible for
little greater disease and disability
during the period of greatest industrial
activity than occurred during the or
binary years of conditions rejecting
normal industrial activity.
Health Means Dollars and Cents.
Health must be estimated in terms
Of dollars and cents, in terms of pro-
ductivity In order to reach the con-
science Of the average taxpayer, who
must be called upon to defray the ex-
penses of health departments and to
meet the increased costs laid upon
industry by virtue of the economic
losses entailed through sickness and
death. The economic value merits
greater attention particularly at this
time, when every effort is being made
to secure the rehabilitation of the
wounded and to increase the yigor and
potential power of those who have
suffered from disease while pursuing
their course as part Of the military or
naval forces of tie nation.
"It must not be forgotten, however,
that similar problems are of equal i'm
portance in connection with the every
day living of the growing nation, now
bent upon renewing national prosperi-
ty and raising the standards of health,
comfort and prosperity for all the
types of citizens which comprise the
nation"