The Elbert County tribune., 1919-07-11
Economic Loss From Preyentable
Ailments Is Estimated at
Enormous Figure
BASED ON STUDY IN ILLINOIS
Influenza Epidemic Responsible for
Economic Loss in Vital Assets Of
Approximately $1,000. .ooo, 600
Health Means Money.

New York.-Economic loss in this
country from preventable diseases IL
estimated by American Medicine at
$2600. .00O, 600 year. This conclusion
Is based on an elaborate study OF the
subject by Illinois Health News, which
shows that in 1918 in Illinois alone III
ness and death from such diseases en-
tailed loss of $24.87 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 S15,Ss1 .8s5. 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 1918 would amount to
more than 81, Zoo. 100000. The Illinois
figures. however, merely considered
the cost of the following communi-
cable diseases: Typhoid. malaria
smallpox. measles, scarlet fever.
whooping cough. diphtheria, menin-
gifts, poliomyelitis. tuberculosis and
pneumonia
''In computing the financial cost,
three items were involved: ~ The cost
Of funerals based at 500 for adults
and $50 for children; (2) the value of
life lost at s., 600 for an adult and $500
for child; (3) the cost OF care of
those who recover, including medical
service for adults.
"Utilizing the same figures for the
few above-named diseases III a com
putation on the basis of the United
States mortality figures for 1915, the
death losses from these ten diseases
(p0liomyelitis not included) amounted
to approximately $570 100000 and the
losses due to medical care and wages
to approximately $1,07s,00O.
"The recent epidemic of influenza
involved At least ten million persons.
with mortality of approximately 40O,-
900. Assuming that each case OF ILL.,
ness involved only $25 for medical
care. the cost would be $3.50, 100000.
Pestllenee Adds Another Billion.
"Inasmuch as the mortality from in
fuenxa involved approximately three
persons of working age 70 one child.
one may <-UnlASer me avernHg ross by
death equivalent to $2.4OO. and the
funeral expenses at 500, giving thus
q total economic loss in vital assets Of
approximately q, 900 O0O, 900. These fg-
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
tality of Industrial workerR
These tremendous costs Of COM
municable diseases may be regarded
In part as an index Of the economic
efficiency of communities. 1t 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.
'It Is probably shock to the con-
servative thinker about economic
wastefuiness to realize that the num-
ber Of Industrial accidents reported to
the New York stnte Industrial COM
mission for the year 1917-191S was
286,871, a number larger than the total
casualties of our American army oc-
cupied In the strenuous work of con-
Quering a 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
dinary 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-